Skills-Based Practices for People and Performance
Today’s economy is shaped by persistent labor shortages and rapid technological and industry changes, creating new workforce challenges for employers. In response, organizations are increasingly adopting skills-based talent practices to attract, retain, and develop talent. By focusing on observable and measurable skills, employers can expand access to opportunity, strengthen talent pipelines, and build more agile, future-ready workforces aligned evolving business needs.
AIR is a leader in helping employers implement and evaluate skills-based workforce strategies. Drawing on decades of expertise in job analysis, competency modeling, workforce research, talent assessment, and change management, we help organizations implement, measure, and evaluate skills-based approaches across the talent lifecycle. These approaches support workforce planning, employee development, career advancement, and organizational performance while helping employers prepare for the future of work.
Our Approach
Through projects such as Measuring Skills at Work: Lessons from the Field, AIR provides practical insights into how organizations can build skills measurement systems that support employee growth while strengthening organizational performance. We also help organizations understand whether skills-based practices are achieving their intended outcomes.
AIR also developed approaches for tracking the adoption and impact of skills-based practices among major employers and refined impact models focused on upskilling and reskilling investments as well as skills-based assessments in hiring through its partnership with the Markle Foundation's Rework America Business Network. This work helps organizations move beyond implementation to understanding what works, for whom, and under what conditions, generating evidence that can inform broader workforce transformation efforts.
To help state and local governments strengthen their workforce through skills-based practices, AIR partners with organizations such as National Governors Association and the National League of Cities to identify the skills needed for success, improve hiring and talent management practices, and create clearer pathways for career growth. These skills-based approaches help governments and employers build stronger talent pipelines, increase workforce mobility, and prepare for the future of work.
NGA values AIR as a trusted thought partner and technical expert in advancing skills-based workforce strategies. Through our current partnership, AIR's expertise in job analysis and competency modeling is helping states move beyond broad skills-first commitments to identify and define the skills actually required for critical public-sector roles. Together, we're building an evidence-based foundation that states can use to strengthen hiring, career development, workforce mobility, and long-term talent planning—while creating approaches that can be adapted and scaled across states.
Tim Blute
Chief Policy Officer & President, National Governors Association Center for Best Practices
Our Projects
Building the Foundation for Skills-Based Talent Practices: Defining the Skills That Matter
AIR is partnering with a cohort of states to identify and define the tasks and skills required to do a job. This information—grounded in evidence, validated across states, and designed for practical use—will help states test and scale effective skills-based talent practices.
Skills‑Based Practices in City Government: What We’re Learning
AIR and the National League of Cities partnered to better understand how and why cities are adopting and implementing skills-based practices. Here’s what we’re learning.
Assessing Skills-Based Practices Across the Rework America Business Network
A team of AIR experts collaborated closely with the Markle Foundation's Rework America Business Network to encourage American businesses to adopt a skills-based approach to talent management.
Measuring Skills at Work: Lessons from the Field
One critical aspect in the implementation of skills-based practices is to be able to measure and track the skills that employees learn on the job, and our report examines how employers are measuring and validating skills in the workplace.
