A local startup is helping Washingtonians get one step closer to their dream job.
Mission Collaborative has launched the Career Change Fellowship, an online program that provides people with the tools to switch careers in four weeks.
The company provides workshops and events to help D.C. residents change careers. Fellowship participants can complete coursework at their own pace, attend weekly virtual team sessions and use the platform to source ideas and resources.
"The whole thing is really geared toward being collaborative," Mission Collaborative co-founder Grant Schroll said. "We get all these career changers holding each other accountable and sharing each other's networks and ideas."
Schroll said the success of the firm's in-person sessions and strategies inspired the team to create an online program.
"We wanted to see if we could replicate some of these incredible connections and in-person experiences digitally," he said.
What used to be a part-time gig for the team has morphed into a full-time commitment for the team. Schroll and co-founder Erica Soultanian recently gave up their jobs to fully dedicate their time to Mission Collaborative.
The company is nearing its second anniversary in March and has begun targeting D.C.-area university alumni organizations for its programs and workshops. So far, Mission Collaborative has partnered with 10 universities including the University of Maryland, Harvard University, the College of William and Mary, the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia. The company is also hoping to work with universities in North Carolina.
"We've discovered that partnering with these schools, we are able to help them turn on a new service without much effort on their part," Schroll said.
The alumni partnerships include providing workshops and events for graduates, as well.
"Participants get to go through this program with people that they already have a connection with," Schroll said.
He said Mission Collaborative is now working to provide its only coursework on the university level for alumni. The program would be a combination of the services it's already been offering alumni and its online product.
