U.S. employers — from large corporations to Main Street businesses and the public sector — are embracing the movement to drop degree requirements for jobs where experience, training, and the drive to contribute mean more than pedigree.
But dropping degree requirements is just a start. To source talent for open roles, employers need tools, resources, and insights to implement and scale skills-first hiring and talent development strategies.
That is where the SHRM Foundation’s Center for a Skills First Future comes in. The center will provide a curated, employer-facing hub to help companies unlock untapped talent, improve hiring outcomes, and build more resilient, future-ready teams. The Charles Koch Foundation (CKF), Walmart Foundation, and Workday Foundation provided support for the initiative, which marks a pivotal moment in the movement to go beyond degree requirements and establish a future grounded in skills, performance, and opportunity.
The center will offer four core components that were designed with employers in mind:
- Skills Action Planner, which will help employers evaluate current talent practices and receive tailored guidance to implement effective skills-first strategies.
- Skills First Resource Library, a repository of resources, employer examples, and tools designed to support employers and human resources (HR) professionals in adopting and scaling skills-first hiring, management, and development practices.
- Skills First Credential, which will empower HR professionals with the knowledge, frameworks, and tools needed to lead skills-first initiatives.
- Vendor Database, a centralized platform connecting organizations to trusted technology solutions and partners for implementing and scaling skills-first implementations.
Skills-first hiring and talent development practices benefit both employers and employees. According to SHRM, for employers they reduce cost-per-hire by up to 30 percent and cut turnover rates by more than 40 percent. For employees, these practices open new opportunities to leverage their unique talents to contribute to a company, their community, and the economy.
“We are eager to join with innovative employers to transform the future of work. For this to happen, C-suite executives and hiring managers need the tools to rethink traditional hiring practices and tap into promising new sources of talent,” said CKF Executive Director Ryan Stowers. “We’re committed to helping equip businesses with strategies to adjust their talent practices by focusing on individual strengths, skills, and potential. Organizations that embrace this approach will discover tremendous mutual benefit as they recognize each person’s unique contributions and place the right people in the right roles based on their demonstrated capabilities.”
The center’s other founding partners are the Business Roundtable, the Competency-Based Education Network, Credential Engine, Education Design Lab, Grads of Life, Jobs for the Future, Learn & Work Ecosystem Library, the National Governors Association, Opportunity@Work, SkillsFWD, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.