Degrees of Change: The Shift to Skills-Based Hiring with Michelle Sims, CEO of YUPRO Placement (#45)

Companies are missing golden opportunities to hire high performing talent that’s being trained and certified right now by nontraditional workforce development programs. To help your organization tap into traditionally overlooked talent communities, we’ve called in Michelle Sims, CEO of YUPRO Placement. Michelle tells us, "For 40 years, the trend has been to use a four-year degree as a proxy for your skills when, really, a piece of paper and a resume don't always represent what you can actually do and what you know."

Highlights

[3:25] What is skills-based hiring?

[4:10] A learn-and-earn, skills-based hiring success story involving an internship

[10:35] Getting connected with local nonprofits and nontraditional workforce development programs

[14:18] What nonprofits and workforce development programs are training for

[17:44] Apprenticeships involving modern business skills

[19:42] Addressing common concerns and objections, and building momentum, for skills-based hiring

[25:23] Practical tips for companies transitioning to a skills-based approach

[29:32] Building advocacy for skills-based hiring

[30:47] Lifetime support for workforce development program alumni and the potential future of talent

Guest Bio

Michelle Sims, CEO, YUPRO Placement

Michelle Sims is the CEO of YUPRO Placement, a skills-first placement firm that sources, recruits, retains, and advances historically excluded talent. A champion of skills-based hiring, Michelle leads a purposeful ecosystem of employers and training providers who collaborate on and commit to creating equity in our workforce. Michelle has been recognized on both the SIA Global Power Women 150 List and the SIA DEI Influencer list and is a regular contributor with the Forbes Business Council as a subject matter expert on employers adopting skills-first hiring practices in order to create equitable career pathways for overlooked talent.

Links

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellesims-/⁠

⁠https://yupro.com/⁠

⁠https://yupro.com/skills-to-staff-apprenticeship/⁠

https://yupro.com/driving-economic-mobility/

⁠https://yupro.com/talent-testimonials/⁠

⁠https://www.accenture.com/us-en/about/company/apprenticeships⁠

⁠https://www.hrmorning.com/articles/apprenticeships/⁠

Berta Aldrich’s best-selling book, Winning the Talent Shift, is available on Amazon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://a.co/d/iS7MuPJ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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