Guild to lay strong foundation for first-of-its-kind athlete support by delivering USOPC-funded education benefits during and after their competitive careers

Denver, CO — April 16, 2024 — Guild, the leader in opportunity creation for America’s workforce, today announced a historic partnership with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Guild will serve as an Official Education, Skilling & Career Mobility Supporter of Team USA and LA28, providing a first-of-its-kind opportunity for Team USA athletes to receive education and career development opportunities with personalized one-on-one coaching to support athletes in building competitive careers alongside their athletic achievements. 

With athletes dedicating so much of their time to training and traveling for competitions, they often have to put their athletic ambitions ahead of education and career development. At the point when an athlete transitions from their elite athletic career, it’s common that they find themselves out of pace with their non-athlete peers professionally — and needing to come up to speed to compete on a whole new playing field. Guild’s partnership delivers a more seamless transition from competition to long-term education and career planning and Guild's tailored approach ensures Team USA athletes are set up for long-term success.

Team USA athletes who have met defined eligibility requirements as members of Team USA in the last 10 years can use Guild’s Career Opportunity Platform™ to access a learning marketplace of flexible, tuition-free education and skilling programs. And, just as they rely on the guidance of their coaches and support systems in their athletic training, athletes will have access to personalized one-on-one coaching to support them across their entire education and career journey. Purdue Global is the preferred online university and degree provider of the Team USA and Guild Learning Network, and eCornell is the preferred provider of professional education.

“Guild’s vision for a future of work that works for everyone aligns with LA28’s commitment to supporting the whole athlete, from their performance to their total well-being,” said Janet Evans, LA28 Chief Athlete Officer. “As we prepare for the LA28 Games, we’re thrilled to partner with Guild to provide tools and opportunities to positively impact Team USA athletes.”

“As an athlete, I’ve dedicated the majority of my life to reach this moment in my career and my education has remained a key pillar and priority throughout my training,” said Daniella Ramirez, Paris-bound Team USA Artistic Swimmer. “It’s incredible that through this program, Guild will make opportunities available to current and future Team USA athletes who are also driven by their educational pursuits and might otherwise have to sacrifice one or the other.”

“Guild, the USOPC, and LA28 share a fundamental belief that career pathways and access to education are key to the holistic development of athletes. We are proud to be a partner in offering Team USA Athletes something they truly deserve — access to tuition-free education and career support opportunities,” said Bijal Shah, Guild’s Interim CEO. “At Guild, we recognize that talent is everywhere — but opportunity is not. We must afford talent the opportunity to rise, and no one understands that better than Team USA. We’re excited to be by their side to help them achieve their career goals.” 

Guild’s differentiated solution meets the various needs of the diverse Team USA athlete community. The variety of offerings in its learning marketplace include programs like Purdue Global's Bachelor’s in Health Information Management or Organizational Management and Master's in Management and Leadership. With these programs, athletes can advance the skills they developed in sports and further their career opportunities through programs that build upon credentials to go further faster.

"The USOPC and LA28 are committed to advocating for Team USA athletes – as they prepare to represent the United States on the global stage, and in transition to careers after retiring from competition,” said Carrie White, USOPC Vice President of Athlete Development and Engagement. “As part of that commitment, we recognize the responsibility of providing the Team USA athlete community access to education that meets their ambition and supports them well beyond the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Guild has a proven record of driving outcomes and long-term success for those it serves and the initial reaction from Team USA athletes to this education and career development opportunity has been incredibly positive. We are excited to share it with the entire athlete community.” 

Purdue Global is proud to join Guild as the preferred online university and degree provider of the Team USA and Guild Learning Network. 

“Purdue Global welcomes Team USA athletes to move forward in their career by earning a degree they can be proud of from our catalog of offerings,” said Frank Dooley, Chancellor at Purdue Global. “Our team is uniquely qualified to assist Team USA at all stages of their athletic and professional careers.”

eCornell is supporting Guild’s partnership as the preferred provider of professional education of the Guild and Team USA Learning Network.  With over 200 certificate programs – all designed to address today’s most in-demand skills, athletes can choose a program that fits their interests to advance their careers. Additionally, all certificate programs are developed by Cornell’s renowned faculty and can be completed online, on the athletes’ schedules.

“eCornell is honored to be a part of Team USA athletes' professional growth and development outside of their field of competition,” said Paul Krause, Executive Director of eCornell. “Our short-form certificate programs are designed to build skills in real time, applying to where the athletes are today and stacking to support their goals tomorrow.”

You can learn more about Guild’s partnership with Team USA here and see how it will come to life over the next four years here.

About Guild 

The Guild Career Opportunity Platform™ enables forward-thinking employers to invest in their employees, unlocking life-changing opportunities for personal and professional growth through education and learning programs, career development, and one-on-one coaching. Guild partners with the nation’s largest employers — including Walmart, Chipotle, Discover, Hilton, Target, The Walt Disney Company, and healthcare systems like Providence Health and UCHealth — to create cultures of opportunity that help them attract and retain top talent, and build the workforce of the future. Guild offers a marketplace of curated education and learning programs designed for the success of working adults. Layered onto that is support, guidance, and resources at every step to help ensure the new skills employees are building translate into career pathways that are in demand at their companies — all without paying for tuition or career services on their own. For more information, visit https://www.guild.com.

About USOPC

Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee serves as both the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States. The USOPC is focused on protecting, supporting and empowering America’s athletes, and is responsible for fielding U.S. teams for the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games, and serving as the steward of the Olympic and Paralympic movements in the U.S. For more information, visit TeamUSA.com.

About LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games

The LA28 Games will mark Los Angeles’ third time to host the Olympic Games, previously hosted in 1984 and 1932, and first time to host the Paralympic Games. Los Angeles will host the world’s most elite athletes in 2028 as it welcomes Paralympians and Olympians from around the world to compete on the biggest stage in sports. The LA28 Games are independently operated by a privately funded, non-profit organization with revenue from corporate partners, licensing agreements, hospitality and ticketing programs and a significant contribution from the International Olympic Committee. For more information, visit LA28.org.

About Purdue Global

Purdue Global is Purdue’s online university for working adults who have life experience and often some college credits. It offers flexible paths for students to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, military service and previous college credits, no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and backed by Purdue University. For more information, visit https://stories.purdue.edu/purdue-global/.

About eCornell

As Cornell University’s external education unit, eCornell delivers professional certificate courses to individuals and organizations around the world. Courses are personally developed by Cornell faculty with expertise in a wide range of topics, including hospitality, leadership and management, marketing, human resources, AI, and data analytics.  Students learn in an interactive, small cohort format to gain skills they can immediately apply in their organizations. For more information, visit https://ecornell.cornell.edu/.