100 Million Learners

Overview

On January 20, 2022, Thunderbird School of Global Management (Thunderbird), home of the world’s No. 1 ranked Master’s in Management, and Arizona State University (ASU), ranked No. 1 for innovation in the U.S., launched the Francis and Dionne Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative. This initiative aims to offer online, global education from these world-class accredited institutions in 40 different languages to learners across the globe, at absolutely no cost to the learner. Women and young women will account for 70% of the 100 million learners that the program will reach worldwide.

The Global Initiative will further advance Thunderbird’s mission to empower and influence global leaders and managers who maximize the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to advance equitable and sustainable prosperity worldwide.

The Global Initiative offers three pathways to learners depending on their current education levels:

1) Foundational program: Content for learners with any level of education.

2) Intermediate program: Content at the high school or undergraduate education level.

3) Advanced courses: Content at the graduate education level.

The Need

In the new global economy, where technology has displaced so many workers, obtaining a future ready skillset is a necessity for both personal and professional opportunities. Yet too many of the world’s learners lack access to quality education and 21st century skillsets, a problem that will only be exacerbated in the coming years. 

The demand for higher education is projected to grow from approximately 222,000,000 in 2020 to more than 470,000,000 in 2035. In order to meet that demand, the world would have to build eight universities that each serve 40,000 students every week for the next 15 years. In addition, 90% of the world’s university students do not have access to the resources or recognition of top-ranked universities. In addition, the demand for skillsets needed to succeed in the new economy from members at the base of the economic pyramid, such as women entrepreneurs, is projected to exceed another 2-3 billion people.