IFC’s International Private Education Conference brings together IFC education clients, potential clients, investors and industry thought leaders to share knowledge and to connect ideas with capital. This event, scheduled for April 1-2, 2014, is an opportunity to discuss the latest trends and developments in education, the most pressing issues, and the greatest opportunities for broadening access to learning around the world. 

This year’s theme, Rethinking Education, Shaping the Future, will highlight how technologies, applications, and innovations in education delivery and results measurement are giving us new tools for broadening access to education, a critical part of ending poverty and building shared economic prosperity.

Economic stagnation in the developed countries and high youth unemployment worldwide has contributed to a growing sense that traditional education models no longer create a pathway for the majority to reach their hopes and aspirations. Students with access to high quality education often struggle to pay for it. Quality is often poor and higher education classes are often disconnected from the needs of employers. Too many students leave school in debt and with little prospect for a job.

Meanwhile, innovations like learning platforms, advances in tablet technology and mobile applications, creative models for linking education delivery to employment, and new ways to measure the value-added for students all hold the promise of driving scale and lowering the cost of education to the benefit of humanity. 

The IFC Education Conference is a chance to rethink how we deliver education to youth and adults and give them the tools to meet the challenges of this century.  It will take place in San Francisco, California, a state long associated with education innovation and technology development, both of which are necessary to meet exploding demand for education in emerging markets.

Over two days, sessions will cover topics like: Access and Affordability, Pedagogy and Quality, Employability and 21^st Century Skills, Globalization, The Role of Education Entrepreneurs, Big Data, and Results Measurement.

For more information please click here.