Overview

In June 2024, ETS and SHRM announced their initiative to develop a Skills-Based Talent Ecosystem. The initiative focuses on three talent-specific elements that are important to addressing the future of work: (1) individualized career insights; (2) personalized learning/upskilling recommendations; and (3) a SHRM-developed skills-based talent-management certification for Human Resources (HR) professionals.

• ETS is a global education and talent solutions organization that focuses on enabling lifelong learners to be future ready. ETS works to advance the science of measurement to build benchmarks for fair and valid skill assessment, with the aim of empowering upward mobility and unlocking more opportunities for everyone, everywhere. Its assessment products include the TOEFL, TOEIC, GRE, and Praxis Assessments. ETS operates worldwide, with offices in 25 locations and operations in 200 countries and territories.
• SHRM is a member-driven organization that works to create better workplaces where people and businesses thrive together.  SHRM has 340,000 members in 180 countries, and provides resources on issues and innovations impacting today’s evolving workplaces.

Background

Continuous skill acquisition and measurement are necessities in a world in which skills are evolving and can rapidly become obsolete. According to ETS’s Human Progress Report (2024) which surveyed more than 17,000 people across 17 countries, 75% of global respondents acknowledged that their current skills may become outdated as technology and industries evolve. As a result, they expressed a need and desire for reskilling opportunities but concerns around access were apparent.

The SHRM skills-based hiring certification and larger dually developed ecosystem offering co-designed by ETS and SHRM will help facilitate more equitable and efficient flow, identification, acquisition, support, training/upskilling, and retention of talent across the learning-to-work continuum.

SHRM’s 2023-2024 State of the Workplace Report found that the top three priorities for organizations in 2024, according to HR professionals, are: (1) maintaining employee morale and engagement (81%); (2) retaining top talent (78%), and (3) finding and recruiting talent with the necessary skills (70%).

Resources

Press Release: https://www.ets.org/news/press-releases/ets-shrm-collaborate-develop-deliver-skills-based-talent-ecosystem.html?utm_source=the-job.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=on-ramp-to-a-good-job

2023-2024 State of the Workplace Report

2024 Human Progress Report: ETS Human Progress Index is an annual survey that explores sentiment across three major factors: accessing education, upward mobility, upskilling / reskilling