SA国际传媒

, provider of an online education platform with a focus on upskilling frontline employees, announced it has raised $175 million in a Series F funding round.

led the financing, which sets a $4.4 billion valuation for the 7-year-old, Denver-based company.

also participated in the round, adding a plug for Guild to accompany its funding announcement with the statement: 鈥淚 believe deeply in the power of education to change the trajectory of a person鈥檚 life, and Guild is creating a more equitable path to quality education.鈥�

Other backers include ,, , and .

The upskilling space

The fundraise is one of a number of recent big rounds for companies in the upskilling space, a sector that has pulled in billions in venture funding over the past year, per SA国际传媒 analysis. Guild itself pulled in a $150 million Series E just a year ago.

Broadly, players in the upskilling space are capitalizing on demographic, workforce and technological shifts that are favoring employer-covered e-learning.

One driver for momentum in the space is the current hiring environment, which in the U.S. in particular is characterized by of job-hopping, low unemployment rates and reported difficulties for many employers in attracting and retaining qualified workers.

Many employers are now offering education benefits as a perk for employees. This allows them to work toward a degree or learn new skill sets without racking up large student debt. Frequently, e-learning programs also offer a path for promotions or a new role at one鈥檚 existing workplace.

Guild pitches its offerings as well-suited for frontline employees. It counts large hourly wage employers like , and among its corporate customers. So far this year, the company says it has launched partnerships with employers including , , and .

Convenient and cost-effective education

In addition to being accessible from anywhere, online learning programs also tend to be cheaper forms of education. At Guild, the cost typically works out to between $3,000 and $6,000 a year for a full slate of courses offered through partner universities and learning providers, CEO told SA国际传媒 News earlier this year. By contrast, for a U.S. private university are around $38,000 per year and around $10,000 annually for an in-state student at a public school, per U.S. News.

Coursework can move quickly online too. At Guild, for instance, Carlson said programs are increasingly competency-based rather than time-based. If a learner can demonstrate competence in a subject area, they can move through the program at a faster pace.

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