Bijal Shah
April 16th, 2024
As a passionate sports enthusiast who grew up marveling at the U.S. women’s artistic gymnastics teams of the 1990s, I'm thrilled to announce a groundbreaking partnership between Guild and Team USA. This partnership is designed to give Olympic and Paralympic athletes all the opportunities, tools, and support they need to successfully transition to a new career after their athletic careers are complete.
Navigating a different playing field
I’ve always been inspired by how Olympic and Paralympic athletes use their exceptional grit and perseverance to achieve incredible results. I’m so excited to see how this partnership will enable these athletes to channel those same special qualities to supercharge their careers and thrive in a new professional environment.
Along with the benefits and personal fulfillment that come with becoming a world-class athlete, we know that the path also includes periods of sacrifice, hard decisions, and trade-offs. Training for the Olympic and Paralympic Games is demanding and can sometimes mean putting education plans and career development on hold. And when it’s time to move on from sports and competition, it’s easy to feel out of pace—both professionally and financially—and need to come up to speed quickly. Fortunately, it’s much easier to find help navigating these changes than it used to be.
Supported at every step
With deep expertise and experience connecting millions of adult learners with opportunity, Guild is perfectly positioned to make this transition as smooth as possible for these athletes. As an Official Education, Skilling, and Career Mobility Provider of Team USA and LA28, we’re providing unprecedented access to education and career development opportunities, backed by personalized one-on-one coaching to support athletes at every step of their journey.
Starting today, eligible Team USA athletes will have access to a huge variety of tuition-free programs through Guild’s learning marketplace. With this partnership, Guild is excited to bring a few preferred learning providers in the Guild & Team USA Learning Network, who offer a wide variety of programs that suit the specific needs of this community and who have committed to continuing to explore creative ways to service athletes specifically over this five-year partnership. These partners include Purdue Global for degree programs, and eCornell for short-form professional development courses.
Inspiring America in a whole new way
Athletes can take the skills developed in sports and build upon them to open new doors with new credentials, matching their interests and talents with the high-demand courses and career paths that potential employers are looking for. And coaching support is always there to help them navigate these decisions.
We're used to celebrating Olympic and Paralympic athletes for their dedication and success, but that experience can feel remote to the rest of us. As more athletes pursue their "second acts" and go in new directions, I know they will end up inspiring America in a whole new way—particularly for those who are forging their path toward learning a new skill or pursuing a different career. No matter your starting point, there is opportunity out there. And I can't wait to help more people reach that next stage in their journey.
