Friend,
As 2025 begins, my energy is derived from this fact: education will always matter. Education is among our most powerful tools, whether in times of comity or discord. The quality of education will always matter, as will affordability and accessibility. Having clear pathways to employment and opportunities to upskill, train, and retrain will always matter.
Whether post-secondary education is delivered in an apprenticeship, virtually, or in a classroom – or over 10 weeks, 2 years, 4 years – should be a strength of abundance. Arguing about the “right path,” as if learners were a monolith, is to misidentify both the problem and the path to solutions. That we have different ideas for repairing the poorly functioning parts of our education and employment system is a strength.
We operate in a resource-constrained system and, with public funding in particular, there will inevitably be some winners and losers. I hope that private and nonprofit leaders in education and training can align to allocate resources with a focus on learners rather than on tearing down each other.
For Funding U borrowers who receive our non-cosigned undergraduate loan to complete a 4-year degree, or those who get outcomes-based loans for shorter duration certificates from our workforce development customers, “education” encompasses the skills needed to achieve a vocation and income to buy financial stability. What matters to them is having an affordable path to post-secondary education that connects to employment and a fulfilling career.
Appropriately, the cost and value of only the mode that fits their path is personally relevant; but, like all of us, they are aware that other modes fit for other people – perhaps different modes have even served them within their lifetime and career.
So, whatever the ‘noise’ this year, I am proud that Funding U makes it easier and more affordable for more people to get an education – in the mode that suits their goals. That’s just one of the reasons we are excited to be the technology and lending engine for mission aligned partners Social Finance and the State of New Jersey to upskill workers without college degrees. Read more here.
I’d love to hear about other companies or products that make it easier to get skills or education. It will always matter.
