BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Education Corporation of America (ECA), which operates private, accredited colleges across the United States, is pleased to announce the re-branding of Kaplan College, now known as Brightwood College. With the recently completed purchase of nationally accredited Kaplan Higher Education campuses (KHEC) portfolio, which includes former Kaplan College campuses, Kaplan Career Institutes, TESST College of Technology and Texas School of Business locations, the geographic footprint now includes 72 post-secondary career and business colleges across 20 states from coast to coast, serving approximately 30,000 students.
Brightwood College in Dayton, Ohio will be the first campus to open under the new name and will host a Grand Opening event and ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 22 to celebrate the rebranding of the career college.
Full conversion and integration of the campuses will be completed in March 2016 at newly acquired KHEC (and its affiliate campuses) locations in California, Indiana, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.
“Our company is now well-positioned for growth and better able to help students who want to realize their dreams and build a brighter future through career education,” said Stu Reed, Chief Executive Officer of Education Corporation of America. “Having similar program offerings and a similar structure, there is a very close alignment between the program offerings of the KHEC schools and ECA’s career colleges. Combining the schools offers the opportunity for both groups to introduce new programs from one portfolio to the other.”
The Brightwood College name represents a cornerstone for opportunity and growth for ECA. “Brightwood College resonated with values and attributes important to students including: caring, trustworthy, provides personal attention, helps students succeed and is a college they are proud to tell their family about,” says Reed.
Brightwood College is accredited by Accrediting Council for Independent Schools and Colleges (ACICS). Offerings include diploma and associate degree programs in Allied Health and Medical, Business, Information Technology, Criminal Justice and Legal Studies, Nursing, Therapeutic Massage, Photography, HVAC-R and Electrical Technician training.
More information about Brightwood College can be found by visiting www.brightwoodcollege.edu.
About Brightwood College and Education Corporation of America
Growing from 34 campus locations to 72, Birmingham, Ala.,-based Education Corporation of America (ECA) is a category leader in the post-secondary career school market with current enrollment of over 30,000 students. With the completion of the Kaplan transaction, ECA holdings now include Virginia College, Golf Academy of America, Ecotech Institute, Kaplan College, Kaplan Career Institute, TESST College of Technology, Texas School of Business, Brightwood College and the fully online New England College of Business which is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Newly acquired campuses of the Kaplan College portfolio are being rebranded to Brightwood College with all campuses expected to complete the name change in the spring of 2016. ECA career colleges are accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) which is listed as a nationally recognized accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education and is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
For more information, contact Diane Worthington at diane.worthington@ecacolleges.com or (205) 329-7911.
