Wan-Lae Cheng, senior director at the Markle Foundation, cites data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that shows 18 out of the 30 occupations in the U.S. with the largest projected growth by 2020 do not require a bachelor’s degree. However, many employers require that candidates have a university degree even for roles that may not require them, a such as executive assistants and sale reps.
“Seventy per cent of Americans don’t have a college degree, but employers have a problem articulating the skills required for the problems they need to solve. There needs to be more paths of equal respect and dignity that gets people in good careers,” Ms. Cheng said.
In order to remedy this gap, they partnered with LinkedIn and Arizona State University to launch Skillful, a technology platform that helps people navigate different career paths and training solutions to give them the skills they need for real jobs.
