LOS ANGELES, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InStride, a leading provider of strategic education and skilling solutions, today announced continued growth, accelerated by its new and transformative approach to workforce development. Recently named by TIME and Statista as one of the World’s Top EdTech Companies of 2025, InStride has advanced its offerings to address critical talent challenges through education and skilling solutions designed to be career-aligned, industry-relevant, and tailored to its corporate partners' needs. In partnership with some of the most influential organizations in the Fortune 250, InStride provides nearly one million eligible employees access to over 2,500 education opportunities, helping prevent $73 million in student loan debt to date.
“Education benefits have come a long way from basic tuition reimbursement,” said Craig Maloney, CEO of InStride. “We’ve reimagined them as strategic levers for HR teams to attract and retain talent, upskill their workforce, fill critical roles, and ensure their people are ready for what’s next. Over the past six years, we’ve built programs that address such challenges and have seen the difference they can make for people and businesses alike.”
Each of the following innovations was designed to make strategic education solutions more relevant, flexible, and effective—for the people using them and the companies supporting them.
Award-winning, expanded offerings
- A broader, more flexible learning network
Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all workforce development. InStride's expanding portfolio of 2,500+ educational offerings with leading universities, such as Arizona State University, creates flexible pathways aligned with workforce demands. Formats include English-language programs, specialized healthcare certifications, and stackable credentials, all tailored to how people learn and grow. - Career Education Paths
InStride's award-winning Career Education Paths connect learning directly to career outcomes, increasing program completion rates. Honored by Fast Company and EdTech Breakthrough Awards, these structured paths are designed using Lightcast to map learning to 40+ specific roles across technology, healthcare, and corporate services. The result: higher engagement and a reliable pipeline of skilled talent. - Dependent education benefits
InStride enables businesses to extend education benefits to employees' dependents. This allows employees at participating companies to use their benefits for spouses and children who gain access to career-aligned courses, certifications, and degrees, which enhances employee loyalty and retention as workers feel a deeper commitment to companies investing in their families. In turn, dependent benefits create a ripple effect beyond the workplace, helping to uplift communities by expanding access to education and opportunity for future generations. - Supporting a skills-first approach
InStride helps companies build talent strategies grounded in employee skills and capabilities. This includes helping companies identify the skills needed for key roles, map career paths, and uncover gaps between the skills employees have and the ones their businesses need. With that foundation in place, companies can make more informed hiring and promotion decisions—and use targeted learning programs to help employees build the skills to grow into critical roles.
Pioneering, scalable, customizable solutions
- Hybrid clinical cohorts
Healthcare systems can't rely solely on external hiring. InStride's hybrid clinical cohorts address staffing shortages in healthcare by combining online coursework with in-hospital training. With structured learning models to boost completion rates, they create pathways to in-demand roles like medical assistants, surgical technologists, and clinical lab specialists. This empowers employers to develop talent from within, which has proven to reduce staffing shortages and improve career mobility for existing employees. - Industry-first franchise workforce education model
InStride’s hub-and-spoke franchise education model allows franchisees to opt into and manage corporate education programs while customizing them for their workforce, providing centralized tracking and reporting tools for improved oversight. This balance between corporate structure and local flexibility helps franchise businesses retain and develop talent while maintaining a consistent workforce strategy. This approach has delivered impressive results, with over 50% of franchisees at one partner adopting the program in its first year and achieving a one-third higher retention rate for participating employees compared to non-participants. - Custom solutions for accelerated capability building
To help businesses build specialized professional skill sets, InStride introduced Capability Accelerators, which provide custom academies tailored for specific roles including first-line managers, manufacturing and healthcare leaders; cohort-based learning with applied, real-world training featuring expert coaching and AI-enhanced tools; and university-backed content that blends academic insights with practical, job-relevant learning.
“We remain committed to building solutions that meet real workforce needs,” said Craig Maloney, CEO of InStride. He says of the company’s future development: “We’re now investing more in AI that truly transforms individual careers and organizational success. We always start with our partners’ business goals in mind—and by intelligently analyzing employee data like job roles, skills, and aspirations, we’re better able to connect talent to the right education opportunities and personalized coaching support. That precision is what drives meaningful outcomes.”
About InStride
InStride solves corporate talent challenges with strategic education and skilling solutions. By breaking down barriers to learning, fostering career growth aligned with organizational goals, and simplifying program management, InStride delivers lasting impact. Partnering with forward-thinking companies like Labcorp, Adidas, and SSM Health, InStride drives meaningful social and business outcomes by providing access to life-changing education. Visit instride.com or follow InStride on LinkedIn for more information and up-to-date news.
Contact
Sophia Puglisi, Communications Manager at InStride, sophia.puglisi@instride.com, 805-889-6273
