The College Alternative: How OpenClassrooms is Rethinking Higher Ed with Pierre Dubuc

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Pierre Dubuc is the co-founder and CEO of OpenClassrooms, the leading online education platform with about 300k students a month. The school offers unlimited access to hundreds of free courses, as well as complete 100% online training programs for some of today’s most sought-after careers. OpenClassrooms' courses and learning content are produced in-house, and follow a unique pedagogy which relies on scenario-based projects and mentoring from experts in their respective fields.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. How degree apprenticeships are replacing traditional internships.
2. Why AI is reshaping both education and job training.
3. What’s holding the U.S. back from scaling apprenticeships.
4. How OpenClassrooms integrates education with real jobs.
5. The future of career-focused learning and credentialing.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:02:18] Pierre Dubuc shares how OpenClassrooms evolved from an online coding hobby.
[00:04:22] The disconnect between higher ed and employment – and how to fix it.
[00:07:17] Why paid apprenticeships are more effective than internships.
[00:09:33] A real success story: From high school graduate to six-figure career.
[00:14:10] Breaking down the barriers to apprenticeship adoption in the U.S.
[00:21:36] How AI is accelerating job placement and training.
[00:29:41] AI-powered learning companions help students stay on track.
[00:34:37] OpenClassrooms is making job training count for college credit.
[00:37:18] Pierre’s vision for an integrated education-to-employment system.

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.

Chapters

1. The College Alternative: How OpenClassrooms is Rethinking Higher Ed with Pierre Dubuc (00:00:00)

2. Pierre Dubuc shares how OpenClassrooms evolved from an online coding hobby. (00:02:36)

3. The disconnect between higher ed and employment – and how to fix it. (00:04:40)

4. Why paid apprenticeships are more effective than internships. (00:07:35)

5. A real success story: From high school graduate to six-figure career.
 (00:09:51)

6. Breaking down the barriers to apprenticeship adoption in the U.S. (00:14:28)

7. How AI is accelerating job placement and training. (00:22:17)

8. AI-powered learning companions help students stay on track. (00:30:22)

9. OpenClassrooms is making job training count for college credit. (00:35:18)

10. Pierre’s vision for an integrated education-to-employment system. (00:37:59)