Students of online colleges can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their credentials are winning respect in the 21-century job market. "Online education programs from post-secondary institutions are gaining credibility in the labour market, according to a survey by DeVry Institute of Technology in Calgary," reports a July 28, 2011 Canadian HR Reporter article.

Some 70 percent of those surveyed expressed faith that employers appreciate online education's virtues, the overwhelming majority rating distance learning as anywhere from moderately to highly valuable.

The burgeoning distance-learning industry has made employers reconsider their attitude. They recognize that chief among online education's advantages is its flexible curriculum, which allows employees to enrich their skills without taking time away from work. This convenient arrangement produces better workers while at the same time it preserves desired levels of productivity.

Indeed, so necessary has constantly developing skills become that online education has become the most attractive option in terms of a market solution. Experts predict that enrollment in distance learning programs will grow as online institutions continue to consolidate academic legitimacy.

When wedded to flexibility, respect becomes a potent rebranding element for private sector colleges and universities eager to repair their images after the recent gainful-employment dust-up. If the Canadian HR Reporter article is to be believed, online college students in all areas of study from accounting to web development and design have reason to feel optimistic.