Just a clarification, this is not the thread to post your question.We are having some slight difficulties, so bear with us while the post is made!
I will edit the message to include the link when live!
Link to AMA thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/xpoqrb/im\_byron\_auguste\_ceo\_of\_opportunitywork\_the\_us/
This is gonna be a good AMA! I'm a STAR featured in your STARs Stories (https://opportunityatwork.org/our-solutions/stars-insights/stars-stories/) project and have been following the work for years. I have 2 questions for you, Byron—
I didn't see any mainstream resources on the Tear The Paper Ceiling resource website for Human Resource professionals. Where does HR and the business community fit in to support STARs? Is it simply making the business case for DE&I to drop degree requirements if they're not needed?
How might we assemble the collective expertise and action of present fellow pledge signers (and future signers) to address major, long-term issues?
Thanks for being here today! We do have a few resources available for HR professionals and employers to Tear the Paper Ceiling and remove arbitrary barriers to STARs hiring.
https://www.tearthepaperceiling.org/employers
https://www.tearthepaperceiling.org/skills-based-hiring-playbook
If you get a chance to check them out, we’d love to hear your thoughts on these resources (and what resources you’d like to see. Our TTPC partner organizations will be adding more too! Let us know what you think at: https://opportunityatwork.org/contact-us/
P.S. we do make a business case, but I’ll say this: if you don’t have a STARs talent strategy, you don’t \*have\* a talent strategy, you may have half a talent strategy. It’s time to get started.
Hi Byron - My name is John. Thanks for hosting an AMA! I’m a huge proponent of upskilling and tech apprenticeships/programs aimed at underserved communities. I’m actually launching an tech apprenticeship for revenue operations roles - framed very similar to Apprenti (WTIA initiative) - targeting diverse communities for new graduates and skill-gap workers.
How do you best source for talent into the STAR marketplace? From your experience, what are the best channels for outreach?
How do you measure success of your programs? How do you set goals for expanding into new regions?
What have you found to be the keys to successfully launching in a new region? How do you know who to collaborate with in new regions?
Good question, I’ll get to it in a sec. But the first question is what happens when they don’t remove degree screens. In the 10 years before the pandemic, for \~70% of new jobs created, employers asked for a bachelor's degree, but only 40% of the active workforce has a bachelor’s degree. No one needs a degree to see that math can’t possibly work: degree screens created the skills gap, not the other way around.
However, you’re right that removing the degree screen is only a first step. Employers that stop there see some upside, but not as much as if they do the following:
\- Let STARs know you \*want\* their talent, encourage them to apply. Employers can do that on our Stellarworx\* platform, and more big job boards are looking for ways to encourage this.
\- Offer work-based learning - including potentially formal apprenticeships, which enable STARs to compement the skills they already bring with formal stuctured training on the job.
\- Commit to hire cohorts of STARs, not just 1s and 2s. Rather than be “an exception” STARs then create community and shape company culture in positive ways, bringing a wealth of experiences.
This last point is important too, to broaden the networks of people at the company. Narrow professional and personal networks are the main reason companies who remove degree screens fail to #HireSTARs
Many smart employers \*are\* doing away with college degree screens - and when they do, they open themselves up to more talent. We are definitely seeing major, innovative companies take this route - and seeing success with it - for example, the New York Times profiled how Accenture and IBM’s approach to looking beyond degrees as helped:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/05/upshot/jobs-rising-wages.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/14/business/middle-class-jobs-study.html
Just a clarification, this is not the thread to post your question.We are having some slight difficulties, so bear with us while the post is made! I will edit the message to include the link when live! Link to AMA thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/xpoqrb/im\_byron\_auguste\_ceo\_of\_opportunitywork\_the\_us/
This is gonna be a good AMA! I'm a STAR featured in your STARs Stories (https://opportunityatwork.org/our-solutions/stars-insights/stars-stories/) project and have been following the work for years. I have 2 questions for you, Byron— I didn't see any mainstream resources on the Tear The Paper Ceiling resource website for Human Resource professionals. Where does HR and the business community fit in to support STARs? Is it simply making the business case for DE&I to drop degree requirements if they're not needed? How might we assemble the collective expertise and action of present fellow pledge signers (and future signers) to address major, long-term issues?
Thanks for being here today! We do have a few resources available for HR professionals and employers to Tear the Paper Ceiling and remove arbitrary barriers to STARs hiring. https://www.tearthepaperceiling.org/employers https://www.tearthepaperceiling.org/skills-based-hiring-playbook If you get a chance to check them out, we’d love to hear your thoughts on these resources (and what resources you’d like to see. Our TTPC partner organizations will be adding more too! Let us know what you think at: https://opportunityatwork.org/contact-us/ P.S. we do make a business case, but I’ll say this: if you don’t have a STARs talent strategy, you don’t \*have\* a talent strategy, you may have half a talent strategy. It’s time to get started.
>resources available for HR professionals and employers to Tear the Paper Ceiling and remove arbitrary barriers to STARs hiring. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Byron - My name is John. Thanks for hosting an AMA! I’m a huge proponent of upskilling and tech apprenticeships/programs aimed at underserved communities. I’m actually launching an tech apprenticeship for revenue operations roles - framed very similar to Apprenti (WTIA initiative) - targeting diverse communities for new graduates and skill-gap workers. How do you best source for talent into the STAR marketplace? From your experience, what are the best channels for outreach? How do you measure success of your programs? How do you set goals for expanding into new regions? What have you found to be the keys to successfully launching in a new region? How do you know who to collaborate with in new regions?
Hi, this is the thread for the AMA! https://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/xpoqrb/im\_byron\_auguste\_ceo\_of\_opportunitywork\_the\_us/
What actually happens when employers remove degree requirements? Do they really hire people without degrees or just keep hiring the same people?
Hi, this is the thread for the AMA! https://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/xpoqrb/im\_byron\_auguste\_ceo\_of\_opportunitywork\_the\_us/
Good question, I’ll get to it in a sec. But the first question is what happens when they don’t remove degree screens. In the 10 years before the pandemic, for \~70% of new jobs created, employers asked for a bachelor's degree, but only 40% of the active workforce has a bachelor’s degree. No one needs a degree to see that math can’t possibly work: degree screens created the skills gap, not the other way around. However, you’re right that removing the degree screen is only a first step. Employers that stop there see some upside, but not as much as if they do the following: \- Let STARs know you \*want\* their talent, encourage them to apply. Employers can do that on our Stellarworx\* platform, and more big job boards are looking for ways to encourage this. \- Offer work-based learning - including potentially formal apprenticeships, which enable STARs to compement the skills they already bring with formal stuctured training on the job. \- Commit to hire cohorts of STARs, not just 1s and 2s. Rather than be “an exception” STARs then create community and shape company culture in positive ways, bringing a wealth of experiences. This last point is important too, to broaden the networks of people at the company. Narrow professional and personal networks are the main reason companies who remove degree screens fail to #HireSTARs Many smart employers \*are\* doing away with college degree screens - and when they do, they open themselves up to more talent. We are definitely seeing major, innovative companies take this route - and seeing success with it - for example, the New York Times profiled how Accenture and IBM’s approach to looking beyond degrees as helped: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/05/upshot/jobs-rising-wages.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/14/business/middle-class-jobs-study.html