Sienna Daniel and Sean Segal join host Mike Palmer in a conversation about the work they are doing at Escalate, a company focused on upskilling frontline workers. Sienna and Sean share their backgrounds in education and workforce development, explaining how their experiences led them to start Escalate. We discuss the high costs of frontline worker turnover and how upskilling can help retain employees by providing career advancement opportunities.

Sean explains Escalate's approach of pitching retention strategies to employers first, then using that time to upskill workers for middle-skill roles. Sienna elaborates on the pressing need for workers to fill open middle-skill jobs that require some training but not a four-year degree. We learn how Escalate leverages AI, chatbots, and individualized learning to provide flexible, accessible training tailored to each learner.

Looking ahead, Sean and Sienna envision enormous opportunities due to an impending labor shortage. They believe this will force companies to tap into overlooked talent pools rather than only hiring college grads. As we conclude, Sean issues a passionate call to action for employers to better support and upskill frontline workers.

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