Workplace Stories by RedThread Research Making Skills the Currency of Opportunity with Haley Glover
Aug 27, 2025
Haley Glover, Senior Director of Upskill America at the Aspen Institute, champions a future where skills are valued more than degrees. She argues that skills development is a societal necessity that strengthens communities and economies. Glover introduces the 'All Learning Counts' vision, advocating for portable skills recognition. She also highlights the importance of employer investment in skills for community health and describes the messy but necessary innovation ahead in the skills landscape. Her insights inspire a shift towards a skills-first hiring revolution.
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Skills As Portable Personal Portfolios
- Individuals carry skills portfolios that travel across jobs and communities and should be treated as portable assets.
- Employers and communities both benefit when workers grow continuously and can deploy skills broadly.
Be Specific But Preserve Pathways
- Get specific about the skills you need and design programs around those concrete needs.
- But avoid closing off future pathways by only offering narrow short-term training to frontline workers.
Measure Training ROI Over Years, Not Quarters
- ROI for training exists but requires broader metrics and longer time horizons to see retention, promotion, and productivity gains.
- Short pilots rarely capture aggregate benefits that appear over two to three years.
