NextStep, a company helping to solve the caregiver crisis by retraining displaced workers to begin careers in the fast-growing health care sector, announced a new $2.5 million investment and regional strategy in Colorado. The round includes support from ETF@JFFLabs, JFF’s impact fund, which invests in innovative technology-based solutions.

According to the announcement, this comes at a time when the U.S. population is aging rapidly, causing demand for health care talent to grow at significantly faster rates than the broader demand for labor throughout the economy. Jobs such as certified nursing assistants (CNA) are projected to grow 41 percent by 2026, and the supply of overall health care workers is expected to fall short of projected global hiring demand by more than 15 million workers. Meanwhile, millions of U.S. workers have been displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic, artificial intelligence, and automation.