"Companies hired rapidly during the pandemic and now many are making serious cuts amid an uncertain economy. These layoffs can be a catalyst for both stress as well as opportunity for people," said Brandon Carson, the Founder of L&D Cares, who created the non-profit in April 2020.

"I can't stress enough the importance of working with organizations such as L&D Cares for the betterment of the corporate learning industry," said Ryan Austin, CEO of Cognota. "As the pressures of the economy continue to increase, it's heartwarming to see mentors from the L&D Cares program step up to help others during their career transition. That's a mission that Cognota wants to support."

As the L&D Cares community grows, Cognota is providing free software and services to help L&D Cares keep up with demand. Cognota is providing the technology infrastructure L&D Cares needs to meet the demands of their membership and connect them to coaches and mentors at scale. L&D Cares will also utilize Cognota's hosted forum in our LearnOps Community to connect their members to additional services and resources.

In 2022, Cognota launched its new CLO Coach Program, providing companies a direct connection to seasoned Chief Learning Officers who can help with talent development strategies, and challenges. The program aims to assist companies in navigating the rapidly changing talent landscape. Cognota's CLO Coaches have a wealth of experience and expertise, having worked with a range of companies in various industries.

"We are excited to extend technology we implemented at Cognota to help power L&D Cares, enabling the engagement between mentors and members to be as easy and scalable as possible," said Austin.