Join Us in Accelerating the Skills First Movement
The Center for a Skills First Future helps employers put skills at the center of hiring and advancement—unlocking talent, fueling growth, and creating opportunity. We provide the tools, guidance, and shared language to make skills-first practices the standard.
Skills Action Planner
Skills Action Planner
Evaluate your organization’s progress in adopting a skills-first approach. Our interactive tool helps you identify strengths, gaps, and actionable steps to implement a skills-based approach effectively.
Resource Library
Resource Library
Access research, tools, and employer examples to implement and sustain skills-first talent strategies across the employee lifecycle.
Skills First Credential
Skills First Credential
Demonstrate expertise in skills-based workforce strategies. Equip yourself with the tools to drive impact across hiring, development, and retention.
Vendor Database
Vendor Database
Find vetted solutions and community support for skills-first implementations—from sourcing and assessment to upskilling and mobility.
Hear from Taylor Dunne, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation
Taylor Dunne of the San Diego Regional EDC shares how skills-first hiring gains real traction—by starting from within. In this spotlight, she emphasizes the power of aligning HR and technical teams, identifying internal champions, and rethinking how organizations recognize and value skills beyond traditional proxies.
Hear From Rose Sikder, OKTA
Rose Sikder, of OKTA explains how a skills-first approach unlocks potential in today’s workforce. In this inspiring message, she shares how leading with skills—not assumptions—helps businesses find untapped talent, support upward mobility, and future-proof their teams.
Hear from Steven Flenory, WB Games
Steven Flenory of WB Games shares why skills-first hiring isn’t just the future—it’s the now. In this short spotlight, he highlights how prioritizing skills over outdated proxies helps employers tap into overlooked talent, improve retention, and build stronger teams.
Hear from Josh Tarr of Workday
Josh Tarr of Workday shares how their internal gig program sparked a skills-first transformation. By focusing on real skills over résumés, Workday saw faster hiring, better candidate experiences, and stronger acceptance rates. His advice? Start small, use your data, and make skills a company-wide priority—not just an HR project.
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19x
Removing degree requirements unlocks 19x more candidates (JFF, 2023)
30%
Skills-first hiring reduces cost-per-hire by 30% (SHRM, 2023)
42%
Companies adopting skills- first decrease turnover by 42% (McKinsey, 2023)
Featured Resource
Overview
Launched in 2024, Senior Planet is the flagship program of the national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) from AARP. The mission of the organization is to help older adults learn and use technology so they could live better in the digital age.
In 2021, Senior Planet OATS became a charitable affiliate of AARP, which enabled Senior Planet to scale further and reach more older adults across geographies and socioeconomic backgrounds. In March 2013, the first technology-focused OATS community center opened in Manhattan. It now has operations both online and at physical centers in several U.S. cities (including New York City; Plattsburgh, NY; Denver, CO; Miami, FL; plus partner sites in Maryland and Texas).
OATS programs focus on five impact areas:
- financial security
- social engagement
- creative expression
- health & wellness
- civic participation.
In addition to learning opportunities, Senior Planet offers the “Senior Planet Community,” an online, ad-free social platform created specifically for older adults to connect, join interest groups, share experiences and build friendships.
Background
The initiative was developed to fill gaps in digital literacy, social engagement and lifelong learning for older adults in a changing technological and social environment.
Funders
- AARP
- American Express
- Avanade
- Bank of America
- Carlyle Group
- Chase Sapphire
- Comcast NBC Universal
- CVS Health
- JPMorgan Chase
- Microsoft
- Tracfone (a Verizon Value Brand)
- Verizon Media
Partners
- AARP
- Community-based organizations across the country: libraries and state department of labor and employment agencies to extend access.
Resources
Senior Planet. (n.d.). About Senior Planet. https://seniorplanet.org/about
Senior Planet. (n.d.). Locations – Technology classes – Senior Planet from AARP. https://seniorplanet.org/locations/
Senior Planet. (n.d.). Online classes for seniors. https://seniorplanet.org/classes/
Older Adults Technology Services. (n.d.). Senior Planet Community.
Senior Planet. (n.d.). Virtual fitness and wellness events. https://seniorplanet.org/virtual-fitness-wellness-events/
Founding Investors
Founding Partners
