Farmington Hills, Mich., June 24, 2015. Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, is partnering with Skillsoft to offer online workforce training courses to help public libraries sharpen the skills of today's workforce and those entering the workforce, and support local economic development. During the most recent economic downturn, more than 30 million people reported using library computers for employment or career information, making the public library a perfect venue for education, upskilling and career development resources.

"Libraries already play a strong role in supporting learning and workforce development opportunities, and by partnering with Gale to offer Skillsoft courses, they'll provide training that addresses key workplace skills desired by employers – which can open up a world of possibilities for library patrons," said Paul Gazzolo, senior vice president and general manager, Gale. "This new addition to Gale's suite of online learning solutions, enables public libraries to solidify their role as education hubs within their communities."

Through this partnership, Gale provides public libraries access to approximately 250 courses on business, management and computer application skills, including Microsoft Office training. Courses are online, on demand and self-paced. Users can access them anywhere, anytime and on a variety of devices. Courses include interactive practice, assessment and scoring, and users can earn course completion certificates when finished. Business courses focus on practical skills like professional effectiveness, management/leadership, marketing, customer-facing skills, business communication, accounting, finance and human resources. Computer and technology training covers desktop application courses to assist Microsoft Office users, beginner through advanced, with Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Access.

A pioneer in the field of online learning with over 19 million users today, Skillsoft delivers highly-effective content through innovative technology. Skillsoft courses are developed by subject and online learning experts.

For more information on these courses or to request a demo, go to www.gale.com/skillsoft or visit the Gale booth (#703) in person at the American Library Association annual meeting June 26-29 in San Francisco. For more information on the different ways Gale supports the education mission of public libraries, please visit www.gale.com/onlinelearning.

About Cengage Learning and Gale

Cengage Learning is a leading educational content, technology, and services company for the higher education and K-12, professional and library markets worldwide. Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, is a global provider of research resources for libraries and businesses for more than 60 years. Gale is passionate about supporting the continued innovation and evolution of libraries by providing the content, tools, and services libraries need to promote information discovery, enable learning, and support economic, cultural, and intellectual growth in their communities. For more information, visit www.cengage.com or www.gale.cengage.com.