Welcome to Merit’s Blog.

Data powers workforce systems forward and provides workforce departments with actionable insight. Amongst this data is available labor and jobs, government-provided training, the numbers and stats of each of those, and so much more. But unfortunately, as a result of the (siloed) array of administering systems that differ state to state (and sometimes city to city) mentioned in Part 1, workforce data is often not available holistically. 

March 2020 hit a record-breaking high for unemployment claims in the United States. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of unemployed persons rose from 1.4 million to 7.1 million according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics. Another 5.2 million filed by mid-April. While millions of people continue to file every week, the workforce and unemployment departments are handling this drastic increase in system traffic. Many being overwhelmed by the demand as they deal with the immense number of administering systems and the different requirements that come along with each of them. That being the first of four points for improvement.

In the last decade, there hasn't been a bigger or more misunderstood buzzword in the development and operations worlds than "DevOps." Countless companies have roles for "DevOps Engineers" and rarely does it mean the same thing for any two of them. In many companies, a DevOps engineer is not much more than a Linux system administrator who works alongside a development. In others, a DevOps engineer is just the fancy new title given to system administrators whose job doesn't really change much at all. For others, DevOps engineers are software developers or system operators who learn how to write runbooks for Puppet or Chef, and that becomes their job description—but none of these are really DevOps.

As medical professionals and volunteers fight on the frontlines of COVID-19, for many, their own mental health has been put on the backburner. In an effort to aid the medical response, Merit launched ReadyNow to provide digital licensing at no cost to state organizations, medical professionals, or anyone needing to verify credentials during the pandemic. Additionally, we’ve recently announced Merit Opportunities–a new feature in the Merit app that allows organizations to share opportunities such as networking events, promotional discounts, training to earn additional credentials, and so much more. Today we are excited to share that we have partnered with Sibly to provide one of our first offered opportunities to first responders that are managing their medical credentials in Merit!

Since mid-March, the country has been in a state of emergency. With this drastic declaration, millions have lost jobs, paused their education, and put a hold on anything that involves socializing in person or in public. At a time when a chance to take a positive step forward is what everyone needs, we are excited to introduce Merit Opportunities—a new feature that will lead you to a steady path of possibilities and help you find your next step.

 Integrating verified identity and credential registry platforms facilitates a transparent nationwide credential marketplace

Since 2016, Merit has enabled thousands of organizations to issue merits to people. These merits span all kinds of achievements: awards, certifications, completed courses or classes, professional licenses, memberships, and even employment. 

Merit is now in a position where we are able to add more value to people’s Merit experience by surfacing relevant opportunities from organizations such as yours. Check out this post to find out more about our new feature, Merit Opportunities. Read on to learn how your organization can start creating and publishing them on Merit’s App. 

The current state of the world has forced unexpected changes in all of our lives, and with that change comes shifted expectations in what’s next. Things like a new job, a new contract, or a new class could help answer that important question but can be daunting to go out and find on your own—especially at a time when there is no leaving home. If you’re a part of an organization, you’re likely experiencing shifting expectations as well, which can cause new responsibilities, higher demand for information, and new ways of doing things. 

As cities around the country extend their Shelter-in-Place order due to COVID-19, everyone is in need of new ways to entertain themselves. Here at Merit, we’re binge-watching shows, having weekly exercise video chats, and picking up new reads. Below are some of our favorites that we hope will help get you through the next month or so:

During such an unprecedented time like the COVID-19 pandemic and the Shelter in Place order happening in cities around the country, many people are doing a million things from a place that was never set up (or intended to be) an office. Companies around the world, including Merit, are geared up and adjusting as employees work from home. 

The bothersome, manual administrative labor required from medical organizations and their staff is something Merit has strived to ease during the COVID-19 pandemic. The launch of Merit ReadyNow eliminates the paperwork for interstate license reciprocity and license verification, but we also wanted something that would help organizations search for and access the medical professionals that are needed immediately. With these concerns in mind, Merit has launched Merit Lookup.

In a perfect world, states, hospitals, and volunteer organizations would be able to validate and issue merits without all of the sign-in sheets, time spent confirming participant credentials, and countless hours adding up total participant time. With the Merit Check-in app, all this can be done in an instant.