SHRM Foundation Launches the Center for a Skills First Future, the Nation’s Most Comprehensive Hub for Skills-First Hiring and Advancement

ALEXANDRIA, Va.  — Today the SHRM Foundation  launched the Center for a Skills First Future (SFF), a groundbreaking initiative that equips employers with the tools, resources, and insights to implement and scale skills-first hiring and talent development strategies. This initiative marks a pivotal moment in the movement to go beyond degree requirements and establish a future grounded in skills, performance, and opportunity.

While the labor market continues to shift, hiring norms remain outdated. More than half of job descriptions still require a four-year degree, even though 2 in 3 working-age adults in the U.S. don’t have one. At the same time, employers face persistent talent shortages: 77% of HR professionals report difficulty filling full-time positions. SFF provides a centralized, employer-facing hub to help companies unlock untapped talent, improve hiring outcomes, and build more resilient, future-ready teams. 

“A skills-first future is not a trend — it’s the direction the workforce is already moving. Skills-first practices reduce cost-per-hire by up to 30% and cut turnover rates by over 40%,” said Wendi Safstrom, president of the SHRM Foundation. “These are compelling data, which reflect real opportunities for employers to build more agile and effective teams. We built SFF to help companies confidently take action, lead change, and create a future of work that works for everyone.”

The center consists of four core components. Designed with employers in mind, each provides practical, evidence-based solutions that make it easier to adopt, scale, and sustain skills-first practices.

• Skills Action Planner — An integrated suite of tools, including the foundational growth model, organizational skills assessment, and employer roadmap, for organizations to evaluate their current practices and receive tailored guidance to implement effective skills-first strategies.
• Skills First Resource Library — A comprehensive repository of resources, employer examples, and tools designed to support employers and HR professionals in adopting and scaling skills-first hiring, management, and development practices. 
• Skills First Credential — An innovative program empowering HR professionals with the knowledge, frameworks, and tools needed to lead skills-first initiatives, enabling sustainable organizational change.
• Vendor Database — A centralized platform connecting organizations to trusted technology solutions and partners for implementing and scaling skills-first implementations. It also fosters a vibrant employer community for collaboration, peer learning, and sharing best practices to drive collective impact.

The center was created in collaboration with leading workforce experts and organizations, and is supported by founding investments from Walmart, Charles Koch Foundation, and Workday.

“We believe we can unlock new talent pools when we give people credit for all the skills and experience they bring to the table and take into account their potential and sense of purpose,” said Julie Gehrki, president of the Walmart Foundation. "We’re proud to support this project to continue creating a world where individuals thrive based on their capabilities. This initiative represents a much-needed resource we think can help employers, large and small, accelerate the adoption of skills-based practices across their companies.”

“We are eager to join with innovative employers to transform the future of work. For this to happen, C-suite executives and hiring managers need the tools to rethink traditional hiring practices and tap into promising new sources of talent," said Ryan Stowers, executive director of the Charles Koch Foundation. "We're committed to helping equip businesses with strategies to adjust their talent practices by focusing on individual strengths, skills, and potential. Organizations that embrace this approach will discover tremendous mutual benefit as they recognize each person's unique contributions and place the right people in the right roles based on their demonstrated capabilities."

“At the Workday Foundation, we believe that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. The SHRM Foundation’s commitment to a skills-first future powerfully aligns with our mission to elevate human potential,” said Carrie Varoquiers, chief philanthropy officer at Workday. “By championing skills-based approaches, we can help employers build more innovative, agile, and effective teams, while also empowering individuals with the opportunities they need to thrive. Workday is proud to support the SHRM Foundation in their efforts to help organizations confidently embrace this critical shift and build a future of work that truly works for everyone.”

Built on Cross-Sector Leadership

The center is grounded in collective impact, with support from 11 cross-sector founding partners: Business Roundtable, Competency-Based Education Network, Credential Engine, Education Design Lab, Grads of Life, Jobs for the Future, Learn & Work Ecosystem Library, National Governors Association, Opportunity@Work, SkillsFWD, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

“These partners have helped shape the strategy and tools that define the center, ensuring alignment with real employer needs and helping bridge the gap between intention and action in skills-first hiring,” said Safstrom.

For more information on the Center for a Skills First Future, visit www.skillsfirstfuture.org.

About the Center for a Skills First Future (SFF)

The Center for a Skills First Future, powered by SHRM Foundation, is the nation’s leading initiative dedicated to promoting skills-first talent strategies. The center offers employers innovative tools to advance skills-first employment, such as a Skills Action Planner with organization skills assessment and employer roadmap for actionable outcomes, a curated skills-first Resource Library, a Skills First Specialty Credential program to certify HR professionals, and a Vendor Database connecting employers to trusted providers. By equipping HR professionals, hiring managers, and decision-makers with actionable insights and solutions, the center is driving a generational shift toward a skills-first economy. 

Through partnerships with subject matter experts and organizations — including Business Roundtable, Competency-Based Education Network, Credential Engine, Education Design Lab, Grads of Life, Jobs for the Future, Learn & Work Ecosystem Library, National Governors Association, Opportunity@Work, SkillsFWD, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation — we are creating a world of work that works for all.

About the SHRM Foundation

SHRM Foundation empowers Human Resources as a force for social good. As the nonprofit arm of SHRM, the world's largest HR professional society, the Foundation believes that HR holds a unique position to lead change in the face of complex challenges within the world of work. The organization mobilizes and equips HR to ensure the prosperity and thriving of talent and workplaces. The Foundation works by widening pathways to work for more skills-first candidates and more kinds of talent; tackling societal challenges, with a current focus on workplace mental health and wellness; and strengthening the HR field with even more diversity, growth, and readiness to address these needs. SHRM Foundation works with SHRM, courageous partners, and bold investors to generate awareness, action, and impact to build a world of work that works for all. Discover more at SHRMFoundation.org.

About SHRM 

SHRM is a member-driven catalyst for creating better workplaces where people and businesses thrive together. As the trusted authority on all things work, SHRM is the foremost expert, researcher, advocate, and thought leader on issues and innovations impacting today’s evolving workplaces. With nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries, SHRM touches the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families globally. Discover more at SHRM.org.