New Career Exploration Portal Connects Displaced Workers with Information on Middle-Skills Training and Career Paths

Explore Careers feature from Meritize empowers job-seekers with insights on earnings potential, time-to-job placement and projected demand for roles in fast-growing industries

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Meritize

May 20, 2021, 09:00 ET

FRISCO, Texas, May 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Meritize, a pioneer in financing solutions for skills-based education and training programs, today announced the launch of a new career exploration portal designed to expand access to middle-skills career paths and training. Known as Explore Careers, the new tool will empower displaced workers and career starters with information on high-demand middle-skill occupations in fields spanning health care and medtech, aviation, information technology, and industrials.

"Middle-skill jobs now represent the largest segment of the American labor market, but there's still a massive gap in awareness between job seekers and the career and economic opportunities that these dynamic industries can often provide," said Chris Keaveney, founder and CEO of Meritize. "This is about empowering high-potential workers with greater transparency and information as they navigate the maze of career paths and credentials available in today's complex labor market. It's about helping workers find direct pathways to good-paying jobs that match their career interests and aspirations."

Even as the economic recovery begins to accelerate, there are more than 9.1 million people still unemployed according to the Department of Labor. At the same time, there are 16 million "good jobs" available for workers trained to the middle-skill level, according to the Georgetown Center for Education and the Workforce. Middle-skill jobs that require less than a college degree are outpacing demand for low-skilled jobs by 300% and high-skilled jobs by about 175%. These roles represent more than one in five of all jobs in the country's 121 largest metro areas.

The new feature from Meritize creates an easy-to-use, central platform designed to shed light on just a portion of the more than 30 million U.S. jobs that pay an average of $55,000 per year and do not require a bachelor's degree. The integrated platform centralizes information on a wide range of industries and occupations to bring transparency to different career paths--including mean salary, five-year job growth, key job duties, and the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the job.

The introduction of the Explore Careers feature builds on the company's successful launch of Meritize Connect, a career search platform that leverages data and technology to connect workers to more than 400 schools and 5,000 skills-based training programs.

Meritize is committed to expanding access to skills training through proprietary, merit-based student loans that go beyond FICO scores, using an individual's academic or military achievements to enhance credit evaluation and improve loan options, and supports workers and learners with career navigation and coaching support along the way.

To learn more about jobs in in-demand careers--and how to finance the training to get there, visit meritize.com/explorecareers.

About Meritize: Meritize is a leading provider of funding solutions for skills-based education and workforce development. The company's proprietary merit-based lending program goes beyond traditional underwriting and uses an individual's academic or military achievements to enhance credit evaluation and expand funding opportunities, resulting in increased access to educational funding and improved outcomes. In addition to its merit-based lending platform for students and training partners, Meritize works directly with employers on customized talent development solutions to help meet the demand for qualified workers. Frisco, Texas-based Meritize is privately held. For more information visit www.meritize.com.

SOURCE Meritize