Opportunity@Work advocates for skills-based hiring and seeks to demonstrate the value and opportunities provided by alternative routes to skills acquisition.
Skills-based hiring opens up job criteria, allowing companies to tap into a larger talent pool, improve retention, and meet growth projections.
Deep dives
Opportunity at Work and the Importance of Skills-Based Hiring
Opportunity at Work, a nonprofit organization, focuses on career-sustaining employment for workers without a college degree. The organization advocates for skills-based hiring and supports workers who acquire skills through alternative routes or STARS. By removing barriers and increasing opportunities, the organization aims to demonstrate the value of these alternative routes and channel funding and resources towards them. The podcast episode highlights the need for skills-based hiring, as many middle-skills jobs exclude qualified workers without a four-year degree. The pandemic has increased opportunities for non-college graduates, with more employers dropping the degree requirement as a proxy for job readiness.
The Impact of Alternative Pathways and the Value of Skills-Based Hiring
The episode shares personal stories, such as the speaker's father, who shifted careers through specialized training in cobol programming. It emphasizes the value of skills acquired through alternative routes, including military service, community college, and digital training programs. Opportunity at Work approaches the problem through data analytics, providing tools like StellarSight that help businesses understand the available skills in their local markets. The organization also focuses on connecting employers with talent developers and streamlining the hiring process. The podcast highlights the campaign called 'Tear the Paper Ceiling,' which aims to remove degree screens and promote skills-based hiring across various industries and sectors.
Challenges and Benefits of Skills-Based Hiring for Employers
The episode presents arguments for skills-based hiring to employers, emphasizing the tangible benefits. By opening up job criteria to include various skill sets, companies can access a larger talent pool and improve retention. The podcast mentions specific examples like the demand for Salesforce administrators, where there are already potential candidates without degrees who possess the necessary skills. Companies that rely on a limited talent pool face challenges in building their ecosystem and meeting growth projections. By adopting skills-based hiring, businesses can tap into the potential of stars, individuals without degrees who have proven skills and are motivated to contribute.
Progress and Future Outlook for Skills-Based Hiring
Opportunity at Work tracks the impact of its efforts and the broader movement towards skills-based hiring. The episode mentions the positive trend of companies removing degree requirements in the past four to five years. It also highlights state-level policy changes, such as in New Jersey, that open public-sector jobs to non-college graduates. The podcast emphasizes the need for ongoing efforts to shift the narrative and ensure resources flow to alternative routes and inclusive talent developers. Opportunity at Work aims to continue enabling companies, states, and individuals and calls for collective action and collaboration to solve the skills gap and create a more inclusive labor market.
Many public- and private sector employers are becoming more selective about which positions require college degrees, opening more good jobs to non-degree holders. What will it take to broaden the adoption of skills-based hiring? And will the trend survive economic uncertainty and developments like generative AI? Opportunity@Work CEO and Co-Founder, Byron Auguste joins Bill Kerr.
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