Over the last decade, Guild has expanded its Learning Marketplace to offer 2,000+ programs across 138 fields of study and driven skill development in 13 critical industries
Guild, the leading talent development company, is celebrating a decade of transforming how talent is built and redefining how companies invest in their workforce.
What began as a bold reimagining of traditional tuition reimbursement has evolved into talent development at scale. Powered by Guild Talent Advantage™, businesses can access a versatile set of education and skilling solutions, including a curated marketplace of business-aligned programs and tailored, cohorted academies, underpinned by talent insights for employers, and personalized coaching and career pathways for employees. The evolution has been driven by partnerships with the country’s most forward-thinking companies and learning institutions to turn workforce potential at all levels into business advantage.
By 2032, the U.S. is projected to face a shortfall of six million workers, driven by a combination of Baby Boomer retirements, declining birth rates, and historically low labor force participation. The most acute impacts are expected in healthcare, hospitality, and service industries—sectors that are already under pressure. This gap isn’t just a statistic—it represents both a looming shortage of workers and a widening skills gap, leaving critical roles unfilled and entire industries at risk.
“We are living through one of the most significant talent transformations in history—and yet, too many workers are still left on the sidelines,” said Bijal Shah, Guild CEO. “The future of work will not be defined by technology alone—it will be shaped by the humans behind it. That is why Guild exists: to help companies unlock the potential of the talent they already have. Because when access to education and career mobility is limited, companies don’t just lose potential—they lose their competitive edge. In deep partnership with employers and learning providers, we are building a more resilient and agile workforce to drive businesses forward.”
A Decade of Scaling Impact
In the last 10 years, Guild has expanded to serve employers across industries spanning healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, telecommunications, retail, hospitality, and more, creating career pathways to grow talent in the most in-demand areas of the economy. Today, Guild partners with employers within industries that drive approximately 70% of the U.S. GDP. With nearly two-thirds of Guild learners pursuing targeted skill development, Guild’s partnership with these employers reflects the evolving demands of a workforce shaped by rapid technological change.
In the last year alone, Guild supported 1.4 million members through its partnerships with companies like Chipotle, Discover Financial Services, Hilton, Target, UCHealth, and the Walt Disney Company - one of Guild’s earliest partners.
“At Disney, we’ve always believed that when we invest in our cast members, we’re investing in the magic they create every day,” said Sonia Coleman, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of The Walt Disney Company. “Our relationship with Guild has brought that belief to life—opening doors to education, growth, and new opportunities for thousands of our employees. Together, we’ve helped cast members gain new skills, earn degrees, and take meaningful steps toward the next chapter in their careers. It’s the kind of impact that strengthens not just our workforce, but the employee experience itself.”
Recognizing the need for education and skilling to keep pace with the evolving world of work, Guild has continually expanded its Learning Marketplace—bringing higher education and employer needs closer together through a growing portfolio of programs aligned to in-demand roles.
The Learning Marketplace began by supporting retail workers with foundational learning and degree pathways. As employer needs evolved, Guild expanded into tech-forward offerings such as AI skilling, data analytics, and digital transformation, particularly in industries like financial services. In parallel, Guild introduced hybrid and hands-on models tailored to sectors like healthcare, where real-world application is essential.
Today, Guild’s Learning Marketplace features more than 2,000 high-quality, flexible programs—representing a more than 1,600% increase from its earliest offerings—and spans 138 distinct areas of study, nearly triple the number available in 2018. This continued growth is helping working adults skill and pursue career pathways into roles across nearly every sector of the modern economy.
And those pathways are working: In the last decade, Guild enabled nearly 100,000 employees into in-demand roles, including Registered Nurses, Financial Advisors, Production Managers, General Managers, and more. On average, Guild learners are 3.5 times more likely to experience internal mobility, and they earn wage increases that are 2x larger than their peers who do not participate in the Guild benefit.
Guild is making education and career advancement more accessible to working adults, especially for those who have historically faced financial, academic, or systemic barriers. For Schuyler Kubiak, an ER nurse in Texas, the cost of returning to school had always felt out of reach. Through Guild, she was able to earn her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and step into a leadership role, now overseeing seven specialties and building evidence-based protocols to improve efficiency and patient outcomes. “I got my Bachelor's and that actually opened up a door to move up to a leadership role,” she shared. “Schooling is expensive, so without this opportunity that wouldn't have been possible for financial reasons.”
At the same time, Guild is breaking down conventional education models to meet learners where they are. One example is the introduction of entry-level manufacturing courses from Purdue Global, designed specifically for workers without college experience. With offerings like the Foundations of Industrial and Manufacturing course and the Manufacturing Essentials micro-credential, these programs unbundle the degree path and provide stackable, skills-focused learning that helps learners build confidence, gain practical knowledge, and begin advancing their careers—without having to commit to a full degree upfront.
“Designing education for working adults in a changing world requires new approaches. In our collaboration with Guild, we’ve continued to explore different ways to enhance and deliver learning — tailored for the modern working adult — that make education more accessible and relevant,” said Jon Harbor, Interim Chancellor at Purdue Global. “Together, we’ve evolved new approaches to curriculum design and student support as we strive to support today’s learners, especially those balancing the demands of work, life and education. Our partnership with Guild has helped us reach and impact learners at Guild's employer partners, and also better serve learners across the university.”
Reshaping the Future of Work, One Learner at a Time
As Guild looks to the future, its focus remains clear: developing a workforce defined by shared success—where employers, learning partners, and employees are resilient, agile, and prepared for what comes next.
“The companies that will lead in the future are investing in adaptability today. Guild saw early that futureproofing the workforce isn’t about one-time training—it’s about building systems for continuous learning and mobility,” said Johnny Taylor, SHRM president and CEO and Guild Board Member. “By helping employers embrace skills-first strategies and workers access upward mobility, Guild is redefining what talent development can and should look like. In an era of rapid transformation, that kind of executional excellence and long-term thinking isn’t just admirable—it’s essential.”
Learn more about Guild Talent Advantage here.
About Guild
Guild partners with employers to build the talent they need today — and the workforce that can take on tomorrow. In partnership with employers like Chipotle, Discover, Hilton, Target, and healthcare systems like UCHealth, Guild helps to identify untapped talent and fuel organizational growth. Through Guild Talent Advantage™, Guild offers a versatile set of education and skilling offerings, actionable talent insights for employers, and personalized coaching for employees, translating learning investments into sustainable talent pipelines that propel businesses forward. For more information, visit https://www.guild.com.
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Contacts
Jane Footh press@guild.com