Linkedin Buying Lynda.com Shakes Up Online Education

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While it doesn’t offer online degree programs, Lynda.com’s online courses help move people from job hunter to hired. It’s courses, all offered online, focus on building skills in areas such as business, creative or technology. The courses offer quality online education with the high level of cost and commitment of an online degree. Courses range between $250 and $375 per year, according to its website.

With the integration of lynda.com and LinkedIn, users can see what skills are needed for the available jobs in their desired city, Ryan Roslansky, LinkedIn’s head of content, wrote in a blog posting.

It’s a smart deal. The acquisition will bolster LinkedIn’s hiring business, which has clocked revenue growth of nearly 50 per cent in each of the last three quarters. Growth of international markets such as China has been fueling the drive.

It’s a low profile acquisition, unlike Facebook’s large and exciting deals. But it’s going to fundamentally change the way the education process works in America, for the first time directly tying skills demanded by employers to online education providers who can help candidates reach the level of proficiency needed for employment. This close integration is the first time in history this has happened and marks the continuation of the trend to employment based skills vs general knowledge.

The deal is expected to close in the third quarter this year.

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