Skills-Based Practices for People and Performance
Today’s economy faces persistent labor shortages and rapid technological and industry changes that constantly reshape the skills employers need. This means that, more than ever, attracting and retaining a skilled workforce is critical for organizational growth and success.
At AIR, we help implement, measure, and assess a variety of skills-based practices that span the talent cycle, from employee attraction and attainment to development and retention.
Integrating skills-based practices into the human capital life cycle offers a more agile way to meet workforce needs and organizational goals while expanding career opportunities for a wider talent pool. At its core, skills-based approaches emphasize a person’s capabilities throughout the talent cycle, making skills an important determinant of job success.
Our Projects
Measuring Skills at Work: Lessons from the Field
Funded through a grant from Walmart, AIR conducted case studies with 10 employers to understand the landscape of employer skill validation practices among early adopters of skills-based practices. We also gained an understanding of the systems or tools that employers use to validate and track the skills employees acquire on the job.
Assessing Skills-Based Practices Across the Rework America Business Network (RABN)
We partnered with the Markle Foundation to develop plans to track the progress of the RABN and the awareness and adoption of skills-based practices more broadly among U.S. employers. We also developed and refined two impact models of specific skills-based practices:
- Employer investments in upskilling and reskilling (e.g., teaching employees new skills); and
- The use of skill-based assessments as part of the hiring process.
