Impact Report PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 1, 2022 June 2020–June 2022
SkillUp launched in July 2020 —in the maelstrom of Covid and the employment wreckage it wrought—with large aspirations, a commitment to move fast, and a willingness to not let perfect be the enemy of good. Over the past two years, it’s been equal parts exhilarating and daunting, but here’s what we’ve learned.
We hope to change the narrative about what work means in this country. By providing access to high-opportunity employment for all, we hope to live in a world where income inequality and multi-generational poverty aren’t the major fault line of our generation, children are better off than their parents (and their children even more so), and individuals have equal opportunity and access to living wages and in-demand jobs,
• From a culture of worker isolation to a community of care that fosters social connections and increases access to economic opportunity.
• From an ecosystem of disjointed data to a connected data-driven infrastructure across multiple platforms designed to scale.
Josh Jarrett Executive Chair
• From college-first hiring to skills-first hiring by promoting high quality, short-term credential programs and skills-first employers.
As challenging the task, we, in collaboration with our 90+ Coalition partners, can make a difference and can change lives. Since we launched, we’ve served nearly one million job seekers, spearheaded the launch of nine localization sites across the country, developed a curated catalog of 400+ high-quality, short-term education programs in in-demand fields, and have helped an estimated 5,500+ individuals secure new jobs.
We’re excited about the work and opportunities ahead, while fully acknowledging the challenges. We take pride in our role as a connector and vetting partner who serves up high-quality jobs and training programs. By connecting workers with the right tools, resources, and support, they can make confident career shifts, find quality living-wage jobs, and position themselves for promising career growth. Most importantly, we’re shifting mindsets, behaviors and actions:
A Letter to Our CommunitySkillUp
• From barriers to entry to inclusive hiring and a focus on diversity, equity, high-opportunity employment, and job quality.
We know we can’t do this work alone, just like we couldn’t do it alone over the past two years. Whatever we’ve accomplished was made possible because of the guidance, support, and wisdom from our amazing 90+ strong coalition partners. To our partners, workers, learners, employees, and advocates, we say thank you; let’s continue this collective journey together!
Steve Lee Executive Director
• From a system of worker last to a mindset of worker first, and the idea that those closest to the problem are closest to the solution.
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As a “Learning Lab” whose motto is to “Invent Nothing,” SkillUp has had to evolve quickly over the past two years. At the outset, it was about helping displaced workers find jobs. Now, it’s about more than just a job: we’re laser focused on our mission of providing a guided and supported path to ensure every worker has high-opportunity employment
PAGE 2 3 The Why 3 Our Partners 5 Our Reach 7 Our Impact 9 Our Platform 11 Localization Efforts 12 Employer Partners: Earn & Learnpg.pg.pg.pg.pg.pg.pg. 13 TogetherSkillUp Fund 14 Our Learning Lab 15 The Future 16 Audited Financials 17 In The News 18 Our LeadershipBoardpg.pg.pg.pg.pg.pg. BRIANNA GRIFFIN PER SCHOLAS IT GRADUATE, TOGETHER FUND RECIPIENT Table Contentsof HEAR MORE OF BRIANNA’S STORY
Provide a guided and supported path to ensure every worker has high-opportunity employment.
THE
OUR VISION
Our Coalition of Partners
We developed a web-based tool, leveraging existing partner technology, and saw immediate results. Now that the workforce landscape has evolved, SkillUp is helping workers discover their potential, determine their career destination, and get there faster and more confidently—today, and into the future.
OUR ORIGIN: A RAPID RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC
Operating StradaSocialOpportunity@WorkJFFGuildFinanceEducation Funding Bank of WorkdayWalmartVictoryStateStandSobratoSchultzNewMacquarieIrvineGoogle.orgGatesCharlesCatalyzeBauerBarclaysAmericaFoundationChallengeKochFoundationFoundationFoundationFoundationYorkWorkersFundFoundationFoundationTogetherofOhioLogisticsFoundationFoundation Training AustinApprentiCareer Institute CreatingCourseraCompTIAClimbHireCoding Careers VascoUnmudlTrainingTechnicalCollegeSouthandSimiPropelPerOhioNPowerMeritMedCertsJobTrainInsideTracki.c.StarsGenerationForgeNowedXAmericaMeansJobsScholasAmericaInstituteforCareersEducationLouisianaCommunityEmploymentCareerCollege Employer Accenture/FutureofU * BrightBenderAmazon*Horizons * HamiltonFiveCSAA*Guys * HCL Technologies * Jason’sHYATT Deli Now Foods * Renown Health * Sunrun * Tech Elevator* TTEC * UC Health * UKG* (Kronos, Inc) Verizon Worthington* Industries * YAI YUPRO* * Localization Brooklyn Chamber of DaytonaCommerceState College Economic Development Agency Western Nevada Florida(EDAWN)Department of ValenciaTheStellarworxSOARServeSeminolePhiladelphiaOnePartnershipNorthJVSIndianDevelopmentGreaterCaliforniaGoodwillFutureEducationPlansSouthernNewOrleansFoundationRiverStateCollegeBayAreaLouisianaEconomicAcadianaWorksStateCollegeWashingtonGRITProjectCollege Outreach & Research WorkingWhereWeGoStrategicOneTenONetServicesNetworkMDRCBurningLightcastHOCCollegeAppCareerOneStopBLS(FKAEmsi/Glass)ofJewishHumanAgenciesEducation,Inc.Nation *Indicates Earn & Learn Partner
Who We Are and Why We’re Here WHY
SkillUp is a coalition of 90+ partners spanning training and education providers, tech firms, intermediaries, employers, and philanthropies nationwide.
Every worker gains equity and dignity in the workforce through access to high-opportunity and quality employment.
When the pandemic hit, there was an urgent need to help workers upskill and reskill at scale. That’s why we formed SkillUp, a coalition of partners with a shared vision to help workers find high-opportunity employment.
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OUR MISSION
Success in our mission requires that we don’t just accept difference, but that we celebrate it and embrace the diverse community and backgrounds that individuals come from. We recognize that diverse teams make the strongest teams. We are building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.
CULTURE, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
HAVE UPSKILLED THEMSELVES, EARNING DEGREES OR CREDENTIALS AS NON-TRADITIONAL LEARNERS
*The Pahara Fellowship seeks to strengthen and sustain a diverse community of high-integrity, values-driven leaders who are reimagining public education.
Vice President, Partnerships and Operations & Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow*
STAFF MEMBERS
AS OF JULY 2022
DO NOT HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE
ARE BILINGUAL
ARE WORKING PARENTS
Elissa Salas
ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR, 24% ARE LATINO/X
ATTENDED DEI TRAINING
ARE FIRST-GENERATION IMMIGRANTS
Elissa Salas led SkillUp’s summer 2021 participation in Driving Toward Impact in Employment (DTI). This cohort-learning experience brings together social sector organizations to examine the equitable reach of their services through analysis of their performance data, seeking to identify potential bias areas, identify experience and outcomes differences among constituent groups, all with a lens on DEI practices and Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation culture (MLE).
ARECOLLEGEFIRST-GENERATIONGRADUATES
More than two-thirds of SkillUp staff members have formalundergoneDEItraining.
ARE FEMALE-IDENTIFYING
HAVE UPSKILLED TO ACQUIRE A NEW ROLE OR RESPONSIBILITY
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ABOUT OUR TEAM
OUR REACH Our goal is to empower workers seeking better jobs and economic mobility with the most creative and action-driven outreach possible, and the tools to help them change their lives.
“ SkillUp is a very unique program, a very unique organization. They meet you where you are, whether your educational journey is in process or you’re in the beginning stages of it, whether you are a professional, in early career, or you are looking to transition out of your career.”TWANNETTA WEAVER BUSINESS & DIGITAL MARKETINGLEVELUPCERTIFICATE,FLORIDA HEAR MORE OF TWANNETTA’S STORY Source for Illustration 1: Estimate based on calculations from SkillUp user profiles and U.S Census Bureau. PAGE 5 SKILLUP Race/EthnicityUSERS: ASIAN OR ISLANDER (11%) BLACK OR AMERICANAFRICAN( 22% MULTI-CULTURAL) (3%) MIDDLE EASTERN OR NORTH AFRICAN (<1%) NATIVE AMERICAN OR ALASKA NATIVE (<1%) HISPANIC OR LATINO (32%) WHITE (31%)
Who We Serve
of workers identify as female
don’t feel they can advance in their current role
)
Source for Illustration 2: 1,605 participants in the SkillUp online survey (Pulse Survey) between August 2021—June 2022. Survey invitations emailed to a stratified random sample of SkillUp users creating an account between July 2020-May 2022 (17.6% ( 29.3% ( 25% (15.1% (9% (4.2%
of workers are paid hourly (+ 14% also report “gig” wages)
18–24
) 25–34
) 35–44
) 45–54
)
more likely to seek training in a new career field than upskill in current field
) 55–64
) $30,000–$39,999
Source for Illustration 3: Google Analytics SkillUp account holders between July 2020–May 2022.
) 65+
) $40,000–$49,999
$1–$9,999 ( 23% ( ((16% ( 25% (
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) $10,000–$19,999
$20,000–$29,999 ( 11%
3%)$0
15%)
7%) $80,000+
SKILLUP USERS:
Age
0% $50,000–$79,999) (
SKILLUP IncomeUSERS:
PAGE 7
Thriving SkillUp Workers
OUR IMPACT “ Through SkillUp, I learned how to make myself marketable and build my career path. I found the resources to interview, negotiate, and secure a job immediately after completing my certificate.” ERIC TORRES IT SUPPORT CERTIFICATE, LEVELUP LOS ANGELES WE KNOW OUR COALITION IS MAKING A CHANGE . READ MORE OF ERIC’S STORY *Estimate based on actuals from scholarship recipients and calculations based on user self-reported results via monthly Pulse Survey. into the pockets of SkillUp job-seekers
*Year 1 = July 1, 2020–June 30, 2021; Year 2 = July 1, 2021–June 30, 2022 PAGE 8 Marketing & Outreach OUR IMPACT sessions of live CAREER COACHING WORKER ADVISORY members and 2X MONTHLY advisor panel sessions COST PER NEW USER YEAR-OVER-YEARACQUIREDINCREASE IN WEB TRAFFIC SOURCED FROM REFERRAL, DIRECT LINK, & EMAIL COST PER CLICK GROWTH METRICS: YEAR 1 & YEAR 2 METRIC YEAR 1* GROWTH TOTAL SKILLUP USERS 336,155 883,080 162% Weekly Profile Creations 540 582 8% Catalog Session Duration 1:20 1:52 40% Total Training Referrals 5,661 20,455 261% User Save Actions (Career or Program) 6,318 17,503 277% YEAR 2* ACQUISITION METRICS: DIGITAL MEDIA of SkillUp userswithin 6 months* COMPLETE TRAINING of SkillUp users securewithin 6 months*NEW JOBS workers SUPPORTED at skillup.org *Estimated as measured via the Pulse Survey between October 2021–May 2022
CAREERS, TRAINING, &
Training Catalog
SKILLED12TRADES SUPPLY3CHAIN 6TECH
PARTNERS INCLUDE: RESOURCESOur
31 LIVING-WAGE GATEWAY JOBS AS OF JUNE 30, 2022
PAGE 9
SkillUp offers a web platform custom built to help workers unlock pathways for career growth. We present workers with 31 careers, vetted for offering sustainable wages and benefits in in-demand fields with opportunities for future advancement. These jobs can be secured with less than 12 months of training.
BUSINESS3 HEALTHCARE7
Our Platform
Our catalog of more than 400 quality, vetted training programs helps workers connect with low-cost (less than $10k), short-term training programs leading to high-growth careers.
We help workers find programs with support and job placement services within five key industries: Business, Healthcare, Skilled Trades, Supply Chain & Logistics, and ProgramsTechnology.areoffered
fully online, on-site, or in hybrid formats and many can be completed in as few as three months. Users can easily filter by industry, cost, length of program, and location.
PAGE 10 TOP 8 CAREERS WITH THE HIGHEST VOLUME OF PAGES VISITED Workers shared with SkillUp the areas in which they most commonly needed help. Resources offered by SkillUp and our partners include: • Career Exploration • Group Career Coaching • Facebook Career Community • Digital Skills Training • Job Search Tips • Health & Wellness • Financial Support • Veteran Services • Seniors in Tech • Rideshare & Transportation • Food & Housing • Worker Success Stories • Career & Training Blog 1. HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST 2. CUSTOMER SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE 3. IT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL 4. PHARMACY TECHNICIAN 5. MEDICAL ASSISTANT 6. TRACTOR-TRAILER TRUCK DRIVER 7. ELECTRICIAN 8. CLINICAL RESEARCH COORDINATOR
REGIONAL TRAINING PROVIDERS have connected workers to the most in-demand career programs
REGION # OF TRAINING PROVIDERS PAGE 11
That’s why we’ve created partnerships with regional experts and workforce development boards to source local training providers and identify the highest-opportunity career paths for workers within, or considering relocating to, these communities. Our localized LevelUp partnerships bring the best of SkillUp resources together with an additional emphasis on local labor markets, worker needs, and community connections.
Seminole State College, Indian River State College, Daytona State College, Valencia College
• San Francisco Bay Area
The GRIT Project, Future Plans
JVS, Opportunity@Work, Stellarworx
NUMBERS BY REGION Los Angeles 32 Bay Area 36 Louisiana 22 Florida 7 Ohio 31 Philadelphia 42 New York City 34
LocalLeveragingExpertiseLOCALIZATION
• Louisiana
• Greater Los Angeles Goodwill Industries of SoCal
• New York City
Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
EXISTING REGION PROSPECT REGION LEVELUP PARTNERSHIPREGIONALHUBS
• Ohio
LevelUp
LCTCS, North Louisiana Economic Partnership, Greater New Orleans Regional Economic Development, One Acadania
• Northern Nevada Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN)
• Philadelphia Philadelphia Works, Inc.
The communities we partner with know their job market and opportunities best.
SkillUp has launched local partnerships in:
• Florida
That’s why we launched our Earn & Learn program, helping workers connect with carefully vetted, high-quality jobs where they can grow their job skills while continuing to earn a living wage. Our founding 13 employers provide on-the-job training plus upskilling opportunities that can lead to a certificate of value, industry-recognized credentials, or a higher education degree.
• Ser ves 20,000–40,000 workers annually
• Founded in 1999
• 85 Staff
SKILLUP EARN & LEARN: Employer Partners
“At a critical juncture during the pandemic, strategic partnerships became a key driver of economic recovery efforts. Individuals wanted both accessible resources and a variety of options to make informed decisions about their careers and their futures. Our SkillUp partnership offered both and more. They continue to be a valuable workforce resource to Philadelphia residents! ”
EMPLOYER PARTNERS
For our workers, the opportunity to earn good pay and full-time benefits while at the same time continuing to build their job skills is a powerful combination.
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Earn & Learn
We helped upgrade the Philadelphia Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) delivery service system to a more customer-centered, goal-driven approach, with programmatic efficiencies and extensive opportunities for job seekers.
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
PATRICIA BLUMENAUER VICE PRESIDENT
to our employers since launching Earn & Learn REFERRALS
JOB PLACEMENTS* STATES GEOGRAPHICINREACH
SimiPropelPerNPowerMeritMedCertsJobTraini.c.StarsGenerationForgeNowAmericaScholasAmericaInstituteCareer & Education
Hiring Employers of the SkillUp Together Fund include:
Vasco Career College Ohio Means Jobs*
*Served as Fund intermediary to local providers
SkillUp Together Fund ProvidersTraining: INVESTMENTON(ROI)
UNIQUEEMPLOYERSHIRING
The SkillUp Together Fund derisks the financial component of entering a training program for upskilling. Since the fund’s founding, in partnership with Social Finance in 2021, SkillUp has raised and distributed nearly $2 million in scholarships to workers.
TechnicalSLCC Employment Training (TET)
AWARDED*
IN INCREASED WAGES**
Austin Career Institute (ACI)
PER FUND RECIPIENT IN INCREASED WAGES**
SkillUp Together Fund
FUND OVERVIEW
CreatingCompTIAClimbHireApprentiCoding Careers
COMPLETIONS*
*Through June 30, 2022 **Among workers who have been placed in jobs after completing their training program. Increase represents the difference between pre-program and post program wages. 60% of workers entering programs are not currently employed; for them the wage increase would be much greater.
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RETURN
19 of the best-in-class training providers delivered $1,000 grants to workers in the form of living stipends, tuition reimbursement, and ISA reductions to workers without a four-year degree and making less than $40,000 a year.
TRAINING PROVIDERS
GRANTS
These providers deliver industry-leading results:
CONTINUOUS WORKER INSIGHTS
JFF, the Educational Quality Outcome Standards Board (EQOS, now part of JFF), Social Finance, and SkillUp formed a rapid action task force to align SkillUp data collection metrics with existing postsecondary higher ed and workforce data collection efforts. Together, we piloted the creation of a system to vet education provider partners for partnership and investment, to help inform learner decision-making, provider improvement, and public policy.
LIA SIMS-OKUNDAYE PER SCHOLAS IT GRADUATE, SKILLUP TOGETHER FUND RECIPIENT
“ The financial support from the SkillUp and Per Scholas partnership helped to support me through my IT Support Course by helping to provide me with my essentials and assisting my family with groceries. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and I am looking forward to my new career in Information Technology! ”
CAREER BUILDERS ADVISORY PANEL
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Career, Data, and Worker Insights
Worker voice informs our decision-making for marketing, products, and services. The cohort-based Career Advisory Panel (Career Builders) is a demographically diverse group of advisors guiding SkillUp through regular online sessions. In exchange for their contributions, workers receive compensation, personalized group coaching from InsideTrack, technology access and support, and the opportunity to be a peer mentor and inspiration to the community. Career Builders expansion plans include a youth-focused career builder cohort and scaling the program to reach more workers.
In partnership with MDRC and with funding from Strada Education group, SkillUp deploys a quantitative survey panel. In 15 surveys with five unique cohorts over 10 months, more than 1,600 unique workers—and growing—have shared their experiences, outcomes, and demographic profiles. This approach addresses current gaps in data systems that track employment and training outcomes and looks at the importance of employment benefits, upward mobility, and experience with discrimination.
DATA STANDARDIZATION
OUR LEARNING LAB
TRAINING FOR AMERICORPS WA COVID RESPONSE TEAM
In partnership with the Schultz Foundation and Serve Washington, SkillUp was selected to build a supplemental learning experience to support AmeriCorps members transitioning from service into careers. A product experience with curated courses drove 80 fully funded AmeriCorps member enrollments across tech, health care, education, and social justice training courses. The project will be scaled to serve 250 AmeriCorps members across Washington State during the next service year.
Employer best-practice collaboration.
Stemming from our core beliefs, our future is aligned with our three core principles:
Expanded user-focused product development.
Using the micro-pathways model from Education Design Lab, we’ll bring select micro-pathways and two or more stackable credentials, achievable within less than a year, into the SkillUp platform to increase community college representation and measure their appeal and participation among SkillUp users.
One-on-one career counseling to support workers.
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IMPROVEMENTCONTINUOUSDATA-DRIVEN
The SkillUp Employer Network, in partnership with the Hire Opportunity Coalition, will bring more than 21 national employers into the new SkillUp Employer Network. This positions SkillUp to connect workers, training providers, and employers in an active dialog aimed at improving the experience for workers and employers alike.
WORKER-FOCUSED
LOOKING AHEAD
We want to build a front end that attracts, engages, and supports the worker. We’re in the process of developing an even more connected and integrated platform, which will help us better engage and support our workers.
The Future of SkillUp
Individualized career counseling will be offered via a multi-modal mix of tech-delivered and direct-service worker supports. In partnership with the Network of Jewish Human Services Agencies and their 19 network affiliates, we will help pilot and measure the impact of no-cost, one-on-one career counseling delivered to hundreds of SkillUp workers in Fall 2022.
As part of our work to bring together disparate education and workforce systems, we will design and pilot the integration of worker, training provider, and employer platforms. Beginning with key partners, Opportunity@Work and OneTen, our 2022/2023 data integration pilot will pave the way for a new standard for scale and impact across our collective networks.
We aim to build on the 2022 improvements that resulted in a 36% increase in training referrals.
EXCELLENCEPLATFORM
SkillUp intends to offer more locally relevant choices to workers through the expansion of our catalog and deep partnerships in regions across the country. In 2022, with funding from the Bloomberg Philanthropies, we will launch in Dallas with a specific focus on youth, ages 16–24; while in Eastern Kentucky, together with SOAR Kentucky, we’ll grow our existing work in rural Appalachia, adding four new regions into our training navigator.
Expanded reach and focus via new local catalog experiences.
Based on user interactions, testing, and feedback from our 2022 site launch, this 12-month roadmap focuses on directed career navigation scaffolding and user flow, delivering individualized product experiences, and content based on the user’s goals, timeline, and proclivity for upskilling.
Collaboration on stackable credentials.
Building on SkillUp’s Pulse Survey, we aim to operate a groundbreaking study of worker learnings across the country. Unlike typical surveys that take an annual snapshot, the Pulse Survey checks in with the same 2,000+ households quarter after quarter for several years. This approach provides a dynamic view of workers’ and job seekers’ journeys over time, including post-employment.
Connected data.
Individual worker connection will always be our core ethos. And we’re also deeply rooted in data that drives our decisions, improvements, and services, better connecting our workers to employers and resources.
Real time worker insights.
We want to hear from, represent, and amplify the voices and journeys of the workers we serve, and build trust with them.
$250,000 Restricted: $4,357,697 TOTAL SUPPORT: $4,607,697
REVENUE EXPENSES
Program Services $4,647,028
Unrestricted:
Unrestricted:
$1,702,417 Restricted: $3,869,000 TOTAL SUPPORT: $5,571,417
Management & General $743,370
$2,300,952 5.4% 94.6% 2021
TOTAL
EXPENSEFUNCTIONAL $5,576,403 83.3% 13.3%3.4%7.9%92.1% 69.4% 30.6%
Program Services $2,118,109
TOTAL EXPENSESFUNCTIONAL GRANT REVENUE EXPENSES
Fundraising $0
Management & General $182,843
PAGE 16 Audited Financials2020–20212020GRANT
Fundraising $186,005
Rapid Reskilling Spotlight with Stand Together/SkillUp with Data & Heart: Changing the Tides of Intergenerational Poverty
READ
RECENT STORIES What is Rapid Reskilling? WATCH
READ Upskilling for the Future @ SXSW EDU 2021 WATCH Individualized Pathways for a New Era of Learning WATCH Hire Opportunity Council Merges with SkillUp Coalition PRESS The Future of the Workforce Development with Steve Lee of SkillUp Illuminate Higher Education Podcast LISTEN Pro Quarterback Joe Burrow x SkillUp: Helping Ohioans Get Back to Work WATCH InsideTrack and SkillUp Team Up to Help Workers in Transition READ VIEW MORE!
WATCH Leading
Nonprofit Coalition Helping New Yorkers Develop New Skills for Better Jobs Launches
PAGE 17
In the News
GeyerhahnBenjamin
FlynnMaria
BenninAndre
JarrettJosh
Chief of Staff and Head of Government Affairs SHRM
PAGE 18
WorkersCEO, Benefits Fund
President & CEO, Jobs for the Future
SkillUp Founder & Executive Chair, SVP Strategy, Wiley
LovellDes VP PublicCollege-ReadyFinance,Schools
Emily DickensM.
Managing Partner, Juvo Ventures
MEET OUR BOARD LEADERSHIP
Board of Directors
www.skillup.org