LinkedIn is looking to help high school students find the most fitting colleges and careers through launching a new university networking tool and lowering the minimum user age in the U.S.
The professional networking site debuted University Pages on Monday, a platform that allows high schoolers to get updates from different colleges and connect with current students and alumni, according to a post published by Christina Allen, LinkedIn’s director of product management. To allow high school students to get the most out of the site’s new features, the company, which USA Today reports has 240 million users, is also reducing its minimum user age in the U.S. to 14.
According to Allen’s post, in addition to networking, University Pages allows students to look into the careers that others in their intended major have pursued and learn about “notable alumni” of different schools. Though the new feature on LinkedIn is also intended for college students and alumni, Allen said in her post the company thinks “University Pages will be especially valuable for students making their first, big decision about where to attend college.” As of Sept. 12, she said, high schoolers will be able to “use LinkedIn to explore schools worldwide, greatly expand their understanding of the careers available, and get a head start on building a network of family and friends to help guide them at every milestone.”
University Pages currently has 200 pages from different schools, and is expected to roll out thousands more over the next few weeks, Allen’s post said.
According to USA Today, University Pages’ ability to connect youngsters to alumni could attract high school students who are facing increasing competition to get into their desired colleges, as personal connections could give them an advantage.
In her post, Allen touched on the ability of LinkedIn’s older users to help high schoolers gauge their career paths.
“Through my relationships at LinkedIn, I knew that hidden in millions of member profiles were powerful insights about the career outcomes of educations from universities around the world,” Allen said. “If harnessed, these insights could provide incredible value for students – helping them explore possible futures and build a support network to help them succeed on campus and beyond.”