Growing the Skills-First Employment Movement Through Measurement

Skills-first employment practices have gained significant momentum among private sector employers, but there are still no standard guidelines for measuring the success of those practices. As a result, many employers do not reliably track outcomes, and the skills-first movement still relies too often on anecdotes and existing case studies that lack the quantitative and qualitative data needed to understand the tangible value of a talent strategy that focuses on skills.

In partnership with IBM and over 10 companies involved in the Business Roundtable Multiple Pathways Initiative, Grads of Life developed the Impact Measurement Framework to offer specific metrics companies can begin tracking to evaluate the impact their skills-first practices have on their employees, their business, and society broadly. In this report, Grads of Life experts dive deeper into the methodology and structure of the framework, the current state of measurement in the field, and next steps for business leaders seeking to measure the impact of their skills-first employment strategy.