Partnership Opportunities

Nonprofit leadership certificate students smile as they listen to a lecture during a course meeting.

Empowering Employees. Elevating Organizations.

Aurora University partners with organizations across industries to strengthen workforce development, support employee advancement, and build pathways for long-term organizational success. Through our partnership programs, employers can choose from two collaborative pathways:

Custom Workforce Programs to create and deliver tailored education and training solutions built around your organization’s needs.
AU Advantage Partnership to offer your employees reduced tuition and personalized support.

Custom Workforce Programs

Through Custom Workforce Programs, AU collaborates with employers to design tailored education and training solutions that align with organizational goals, schedules, and employee needs. Whether you’re looking to launch a certificate program, build a leadership series, or provide skill-based training, we’re ready to partner with you.

Benefits of Custom Workforce Programs:

Develop current and emerging leaders.
Upskill employees for evolving roles and technologies.
Support hiring, onboarding, and talent pipeline needs.
Strengthen retention and employee engagement.
Align learning outcomes with organizational goals.
Access flexible formats tailored to your schedule.

Examples of previous custom partnership programs:

Goal: Build management and leadership skills for nonprofit professionals.

Description: AU developed a 10-week certificate focused on nonprofit operations, resource management, and organizational sustainability in partnership with the Dunham Foundation. The program’s first cohort included 21 participants from local nonprofits, with 80% rating the program “excellent” and 100% reporting leadership skill growth.

Goal: Prepare individuals with at least a high school degree to provide basic nursing care that addresses critical staffing shortages.

Description: AU created an 8-week CNA training course with lecture, lab, and clinical instruction, offering a direct pathway to credentialing individuals to provide basic nursing care under the supervision of an RN.

Goal: Strengthen communication and leadership effectiveness across departments.

Description: AU led a three-part workshop series covering communication, emotional intelligence, motivation, conflict resolution, change management, and decision making. Short instructional modules paired with applied breakout activities equipped staff with practical, workplace-ready tools.

Request Custom Workforce Development Information

AU Advantage Partnership

The AU Advantage Partnership allows organizations to offer employees affordable access to career-advancing education through flexible, high-quality academic programs.

Benefits for your organization:

Attract and retain top talent.
Support employee development.
Strengthen your workforce pipeline and succession planning.
Recruit well-prepared candidates at AU career fairs.
Host exclusive program information sessions with bespoke materials.

Benefits for your employees:

Flexible programs built around their busy lives.
A 10% tuition discount on eligible programs.
Continuous support from AU admission and advising teams.
Convenient payment options.

Program Offerings

Our programs are designed to equip working professionals with the skills employers need without interrupting their daily lives. Classes meet in 8-week or 16-week sessions in various formats — including on campus in Aurora, Illinois, and online.

Discover AU Advantage Partnership eligible programs:

George Williams School of Social Work