Empowering the Next Generation to Seamless Healthcare Workforce
With the inspiration behind starting Transition being your grandfather, can you share how that process started?
The journey to founding Transition began with a deeply personal and transformative experience. My grandfather underwent two hip surgeries and required routine home care, but due to a severe shortage of qualified staff, he was left unattended. Tragically, he suffered multiple falls at home, leading to a third surgery where he contracted a fatal infection. Witnessing his preventable suffering ignited a passion within me to change the broken system that failed him.
While studying Health Administration at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, I became resolute in my mission to improve patient care from an administrative standpoint. After graduation, I entered the HR field and quickly recognized the systemic challenges in healthcare recruitment. It was during this time that I met my co-founder at a school where I was seeking talent. Together, we envisioned Transition—a revolutionary solution designed to transform healthcare staffing. Our goal is to ensure that no other family endures the pain mine did by creating a seamless pipeline of skilled professionals dedicated to providing the compassionate care patients deserve.
How do you define the core mission of Transition?
At Transition, our core mission is to transform the healthcare industry by breaking down barriers to entry for skilled trade careers. We are dedicated to maximizing job readiness and placement success, creating a seamless and efficient pathway from education to employment. By empowering aspiring professionals, we’re not just filling positions—we’re building a stronger, more responsive healthcare workforce for the future.
What challenges did you face during the early stages of building the company, and how did you overcome them?
As first-time co-founders of a tech startup, we encountered a myriad of challenges. Building a marketplace inherently involves balancing multiple stakeholders, and determining whether to prioritize schools or employers felt like the classic “chicken and egg” dilemma. Initially, we pursued both simultaneously, gaining some traction with employers through school partnerships. However, without a substantial student base, that momentum waned. Recognizing this, we strategically shifted our focus to cultivating relationships with schools and their students, organically growing to partner with 40 clients and support over 7,000 students.
Selling to businesses as an emerging company was another hurdle. We overcame this by leveraging our network, securing introductions, and finding champions who believed in our vision to connect us with larger organizations. Additionally, as Black entrepreneurs, access to capital was a significant challenge. We embraced resourcefulness, pursuing accelerators, grants, and pitch competitions aligned with our mission—particularly those supporting Black founders, women founders, workforce solutions, and edtech innovations. Our persistence paid off when opportunities matched our core values and objectives, allowing us to secure the support needed to propel Transition forward.
The healthcare industry faces constant demand for skilled professionals. How does Transition specifically address the unique challenges in healthcare recruitment?
The persistent shortage of skilled professionals in healthcare underscores the critical need for innovative recruitment solutions. Transition tackles this challenge head-on by simplifying the pathway for aspiring healthcare professionals. We recognize that navigating skilled trade careers can be daunting due to systemic obstacles:
- Career Exploration: Many individuals lack adequate guidance to identify careers that align with their talents and aspirations.
- Education & Training: Limited access to accredited training programs leaves potential candidates without a clear route to qualification.
- Employment Opportunities: The absence of industry connections and real-world job market insights hinders the transition from education to employment.
- Upskilling: Continuous skill enhancement is essential, yet further training is often inaccessible or unaffordable.
Transition’s comprehensive workforce solution bridges these gaps by streamlining the entire journey from education to employment. We integrate personalized career guidance with cutting-edge tools to ensure a seamless transition for job seekers entering and advancing in healthcare careers. Our key features include:
- Career Path Exploration: Helping individuals discover and align with the right career paths.
- Career Development Tools: Providing resources to build essential skills and competencies.
- Skill-to-Job Matching: Leveraging technology to connect the right talent with the right opportunities.
- AI-Powered Career Navigation: Utilizing artificial intelligence to personalize and enhance the career development experience.
By addressing these unique recruitment challenges, Transition is not just filling positions—we are cultivating a robust pipeline of skilled professionals ready to meet the evolving demands of the healthcare industry.
How did the recruitment challenges you encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic inspire your drive to innovate healthcare recruitment?
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical weaknesses in our nation’s workforce infrastructure, particularly healthcare recruitment. Witnessing how existing systems failed to connect in-demand talent with urgent healthcare needs efficiently inspired us to innovate a more effective solution. Our education system often falls short in preparing learners for immediate entry into the workforce, creating a disconnect between education and employment.
This realization drove us to forge direct pipelines from healthcare trade schools to employers. By tapping into a pool of candidates who are already skilled and properly credentialed, we expedite the hiring process and ensure that healthcare providers have access to the talent they need when they need it. Emphasizing “hiring for skills” is, in our view, the most efficient way to build a responsive and capable workforce, especially in times of crisis.
Corey Shaw brings a unique background in software engineering and vocational training. How has his experience in developing digital solutions influenced the development of Transition’s technology?
Corey Shaw is the visionary architect behind Transition’s innovative technology. With a rich background in software engineering and deep roots in healthcare vocational training—thanks to his family’s two healthcare training schools—Corey intimately understands the challenges educational institutions face in fully supporting students’ transition into their careers. Recognizing the resource gaps and the need for modern learning tools, he envisioned and developed solutions that cater to the needs of schools, students, and employers alike.
His impressive track record includes over nine years of experience in building and scaling digital platforms within the healthcare and education sectors. During his tenure at Emory Medicine’s biomedicine division and New York City Health and Hospitals, he deployed healthcare tracking applications to underserved populations, demonstrating his commitment to leveraging technology for societal impact. His leadership elevated his family’s vocational schools to rank among the top in Georgia, showcasing his ability to drive excellence through innovation.
At Transition, Corey channels his passion for creating life-changing applications into developing cutting-edge products that empower students. His technical expertise and unwavering dedication are central to Transition’s mission of transforming healthcare education and employment. By integrating his unique blend of skills and experience, Corey is instrumental in shaping a future where technology bridges gaps and opens doors for those often overlooked by society.
Transition aims to bridge the gap between training providers and employers. What are some key strategies you’re using to make this vision a reality?
To actualize our vision of bridging the gap between training providers and employers, we are implementing several key strategies:
- Unified Platform Integration: We’ve developed a comprehensive platform that seamlessly connects schools, students, and employers, facilitating communication and collaboration among all stakeholders.
- Direct Pipeline Creation: By partnering closely with training providers, we create direct pipelines that allow employers to access a pool of qualified, job-ready candidates, streamlining the recruitment process.
- Customized Engagement Tools: We offer tools that enable employers to engage with students throughout their educational journey. This includes hosting skill and communication simulations that prepare students for real-world scenarios, as well as providing direct employment opportunities.
- Data-Driven Matching: Utilizing advanced algorithms and AI technology, we match students’ skills and career aspirations with employers’ needs, ensuring a higher success rate in placements.
- Continuous Feedback Loops: We establish feedback mechanisms that allow employers and educators to continuously improve training programs based on industry demands.
By implementing these strategies, Transition is not only facilitating connections but also fostering meaningful partnerships that enhance workforce development and ensure the healthcare industry has access to the skilled professionals it urgently needs.
Since launching Transition, how has the company evolved, and what milestones are you particularly proud of?
Since launching Transition, our company has evolved significantly to become a holistic solution supporting all stakeholders within the healthcare education and employment ecosystem. We recognized that to truly make an impact, we needed to engage not just students and employers but also educators at training institutions. By broadening our focus, we’ve created a dynamic platform that fosters effective career development and recruitment.
We are particularly proud of several key milestones:
- Expanding Our Network: Growing customer base to include over 40 educational institutions and two workforce organizations and supporting more than 7,000 students on their career journeys.
- Technological Innovations: Implementing advanced AI-driven tools that enhance skill-to-job matching and provide personalized career navigation.
- Impact on Communities: Contributing to increased employment rates among graduates from underserved communities, addressing workforce shortages and social inequalities.
- Recognition and Support: Securing funding and support through accelerators, grants, and pitch competitions that align with our mission, validating the importance and potential of our work.
As a minority-owned business that has been operating for some time, what lessons have you learned?
Operating as a minority-owned business has taught us invaluable lessons about perseverance and focus. We’ve learned that not everyone will believe in our vision—whether potential customers, investors, or other stakeholders. However, our unwavering belief in our mission has been our driving force. It’s crucial to surround ourselves with those who actively support and champion our goals.
We’ve also learned to prioritize efforts on what truly matters—initiatives that drive growth and generate revenue. Investing time and resources into prospects, funders, and partners who align with our mission and values has been essential. By staying true to our purpose, being scrappy, and not being deterred by skepticism, we’ve made significant strides in achieving our objectives.
Why is it important to have mentors?
Mentors play a pivotal role in our journey by providing invaluable guidance and perspective. They offer insights derived from their own experiences, helping us navigate complex challenges and avoid potential pitfalls. Mentors expand our thinking, introduce us to new ideas, and often open doors through their networks. Their support enables us to accelerate our growth, make informed decisions, and stay aligned with our mission. In essence, mentors are not just advisors; they are catalysts who amplify our potential to achieve greatness.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start a business in the healthcare sector?
Embarking on entrepreneurship in the healthcare sector is both challenging and rewarding. My advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to deeply understand the complexities of the industry and be prepared for a journey that requires resilience, innovation, and a strong commitment to your mission. Focus on solving real problems that have a meaningful impact on people’s lives. Build a strong network, seek mentorship, and remain adaptable to the rapidly changing landscape of healthcare. Most importantly, believe in your vision and stay persistent—your efforts can lead to transformative change in an industry that truly matters.
What motivates you as founders to continue the work you’re doing at Transition?
What motivates us to continue our work at Transition is the profound impact we know we can make. We’ve built an innovative technology infrastructure with the potential to revolutionize career navigation in the skilled trades. Having come this far, we are more committed than ever to seeing our vision realized. Countless schools rely on us to support their students’ career development, ensuring they secure meaningful employment after graduation. Many underserved individuals depend on our guidance to navigate their career journeys.
We are driven by the knowledge that our efforts can significantly strengthen the workforce, address critical shortages in healthcare, and ultimately improve the quality of patient care. By empowering individuals from underserved communities, we contribute to economic uplift and social equity. The opportunity to create such transformative change fuels our passion and dedication every day.
What could be the soundtrack for your life?
“Glory” by Common and John Legend
What books have inspired you?
To name a few:
“The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho“Becoming” by Michelle Obama
