Assessing Skills-Based Practices Across the Rework America Business Network
Traditional hiring practices, especially the emphasis on college degrees, can exclude a large pool of highly skilled workers. This approach not only creates barriers for many Americans pursuing career growth, but it also limits the talent available to businesses.
The Markle Foundation’s Rework America Business Network (RABN) recognizes this and brings together leaders from Fortune 500 companies committed to strengthening American businesses while expanding opportunities for workers.
Leveraging Data-Driven Insights into Impact
With the primary goal to advance and disseminate knowledge and promote the broader welfare of the American public, the RABN was charged with encouraging its members to adopt a skills-based approach to talent management. A team of AIR experts collaborated closely with foundation leaders to understand its goals and customize next steps.
This work involved gathering and analyzing data from the following sources:
- Interviews with RABN members to learn about their perspectives on the initiative;
- A short survey administered to RABN members; and
- Potential metrics and data sources to support both internal- and external-facing dashboards.
AIR also partnered with the Markle Foundation RABN team to develop and refine two impact models of specific skills-based practices: (1) employer investments in upskilling and reskilling (e.g., teaching employees new skills), and (2) the use of skill-based assessments as part of the hiring process.
By encouraging employers to eliminate unnecessary degree requirements and invest in upskilling and reskilling, RABN aims to expand access to quality jobs and create more agile talent pipelines. Through its collaboration with RABN, AIR developed impact models and tracking systems that help measure the adoption and effectiveness of these practices. This work supports data-driven decision-making for participating employers and lays the groundwork for broader cross-system change.
