While this is an uncertain economic time for many people, not all industries have been hit the same. As a result, some companies are seeing an uptick in business — like Zoom and Amazon — while others face difficult times. So if you’re one of the millions of Americans who’ve been laid off in the past few weeks, there may be economic opportunity if you look somewhere new.
Denver startup Guild Education partners with employers to offer education-based benefits, but the company is releasing a new resource to specifically help people who are out of work. This resource is Next Chapter, a platform where workers can explore new roles or career paths in industries that are actively hiring.
Next Chapter will identify which roles each worker may be a fit for based on its algorithms, and then provide retraining for those roles. To fuel the platform, the company has partnered with several universities in order to help workers get training for in-demand skills — like plumbing or appliance repair — as well as qualify for certain certifications — like Facebook’s digital marketing certification or Salesforce’s administration career certification.
This will help trainees get jobs with the platform's hiring partners, which include Unity Technologies, Gainsight, TTEC, Walmart and more.
“We’re witnessing the tale of two labor markets. Food service, beauty and hospitality are fueling unemployment rates not seen since the Great Depression,” Rachel Carlson, CEO of Guild Education, said in a statement. “At the very same time, employers are grappling with the seemingly endemic skills gaps in healthcare, supply chain and skilled trade fields. Next Chapter helps bridge that gap and works with employers who are stepping up to help workers navigate the labor market riptide.”
Guild Education hopes that this resource helps workers make the leap into new industries, and potentially open the door to higher-paying careers.
