Understanding, Valuing, and Utilizing Skills-First Practices as an Organization Supporting Frontline Workers and Jobseekers

This report addresses the systemic shift towards skills-first practices in talent management and its implications for organizations supporting frontline workers and jobseekers. Skills-first approaches (which prioritize demonstrated competencies over traditional credentials like degrees) offer promising pathways to career and economic mobility. However, the implementation of these practices across learning and working environments is often siloed and largely lacks critical input of the workers and jobseekers they aim to serve. This research, informed by a steering committee of experts, identifies key systemic challenges and provides a framework for actionable strategies to address these gaps and foster a more cohesive, effective, and equitable skills-first learn-and-work ecosystem.