How Booz Allen Creates Validated Skills With Scale And Precision
Jan 27, 2025
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In this discussion, Jim Hemgen, Chief Learning Officer at Booz Allen Hamilton, shares insights on creating validated skills across diverse domains, including AI. He explains the importance of engaging managers and employees in learning initiatives. Jim highlights Booz Allen's innovative use of partnerships with platforms like Workera and Udemy to build a trusted skills validation process. Storytelling and rewards play a crucial role in motivating employees. Remarkably, over one-third of Booz Allen staff have achieved validated credentials, a testament to the company's commitment to skills development and retention.
Booz Allen Hamilton's talent marketplace fosters internal mobility and retention by promoting skills validation and encouraging employee career development.
Integrating AI readiness programs is essential for transforming Booz Allen's workforce into a tech-savvy environment aligned with business objectives.
Deep dives
The Importance of Culture in Career Mobility
Career mobility is significantly influenced by organizational culture, which plays a crucial role in change management strategies. Leadership support is essential for fostering an environment where employees feel empowered to seek new challenges within the organization. For instance, 60% of employees looking for internal opportunities left Booz Allen Hamilton within a year if they did not find suitable roles, underscoring the importance of cultural reinforcement and leadership ownership. Establishing a talent marketplace requires not just structural changes, but also a cultural shift that emphasizes internal hiring and career development.
Implementing a Talent Marketplace
To address the challenges of employee retention and internal mobility, Booz Allen Hamilton implemented a talent marketplace focusing on key job families. This initiative involved creating functional talent leads to promote internal hiring and managing the supply and demand of roles effectively. The implementation process included developing a Booz Allen Badging Program to validate employee skills, ensuring that employees' competencies were assessed rigorously through partnerships with tech providers like Udemy and HackerRank. The talent marketplace approach not only helps retain employees but also equips them with the skills they need for future challenges.
Preparing Employees for the Future with AI and Skills Development
The integration of AI readiness programs is vital for Booz Allen Hamilton's strategic goals, aiming to transition their workforce into a tech-savvy environment. Achieving a high percentage of the workforce being AI ready is not mandated but strongly encouraged, with initiatives ensuring employees gain necessary credentials. With a targeted approach towards skill development, including a focus on data literacy, the organization aims to align personal growth with business objectives. The evolution of learning experiences through AI personalization not only enhances employee engagement but also prepares them to maximize their contributions in a technology-driven future.
Jim Hemgen, Director of Talent Development at Booz Allen Hamilton, talks with Kathi Enderes about how the company creates validated skills across hundreds of domains, including AI.
This success story defines the journey for every company. Using skills validation provided by Workera, and content from Udemy and HackerRank, Booz Allen has created a highly trusted, validated skills process that credentials employees in a trusted and verified manner. And Jim explains how he works with these vendors to put together a powerful, working solution.
As you’ll hear, the key to success is engaging managers (and employees) to encourage learning and focus on the most important new skills. Jim also describes how story-telling and rewards contribute to the company’s success in ongoing skills development. Today more than one third of Booz Allen staff have completed validated credentials for their career.
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