Skills-First is the Future: Embracing the Opportunities of Being a Skills-First Employer | Sessions

Degrees aren’t going away, but more and more people (more than 2-in-3 working age Americans!) don’t have one. We’re at the dawn of a skills economy, where being a skills-first employer is going to lead to a broader talent pool, a competitive advantage, and a more sustainable and successful future. SHRM Foundation and a growing set of partners and investors in this work, leading corporations, and service partners are building the infrastructure you will need to embrace this new paradigm: AI-driven advising, progress tracking, consolidated tools and trainings, a first-of-its-kind credential for HR leaders and hiring managers, and even a “Trip Advisor for skills tech” so you can compare notes with HR colleagues. In this session, we’ll showcase what “going skills-first” can do at one of America’s largest employers, and then walk you through some of the free and low-cost products available now or coming online soon that you can use to embrace not only formal education, but non-degree credentials, skills, competencies, aptitude, and attitude in your hiring and advancement practices.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn more about why a shift to skills-first strategies is happening, and how you can embrace them to improve employer outcomes.
• Hear about the Skills First Center of Excellence, a first-of-its-kind suite of tools designed to help employers figure out and access what they need to shift to skills-first.
• Gain confidence by hearing success stories from businesses small, medium, and large that have shifted to skills-first.