HBS Managing the Future of Work
OneTen CEO Debbie Dyson: Why "skills-first" builds a better workforce
Jan 15, 2025
Debbie Dyson, CEO of OneTen and advocate for skills-first hiring, discusses innovative ways to address degree inflation and create equitable job opportunities for Black workers. She emphasizes the importance of employer engagement in building career pathways, especially for entry-level roles. Dyson also explains the skills-first hiring movement, including its impact on workplace diversity and the need to rethink traditional hiring practices. With over 132,000 hires linked to this initiative, she highlights success stories and a commitment to reshaping the workforce landscape.
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Quick takeaways
- The skills-first movement aims to redefine hiring practices by prioritizing skills over formal education, thereby enhancing workforce inclusivity.
- Companies adopting skills-first strategies, like Cleveland Clinic and Delta Airlines, demonstrate the effectiveness of equitable hiring and talent development.
Deep dives
The Skills-First Movement
The focus of the skills-first movement is to create career opportunities for individuals who do not possess a four-year college degree. By forming a coalition of major companies, this initiative aims to radically change traditional hiring practices and prioritize skills over formal education. This shift is crucial as a significant portion of the American workforce lacks four-year degrees, creating both a gap in employment opportunities and a need for companies to broaden their candidate pool. Highlighting the importance of a skills-first approach can enhance the inclusivity of the hiring process and enable diverse talent to access career-sustaining jobs.
