In partnership with Cisco, OneTen
offers an inside look at how the employer's skills-first talent
management approach promotes measurable business impact,
organizational agility, and inclusion
NEW
YORK, Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- OneTen, a
coalition of leading companies committed to unlocking career
opportunities for talent without four-year degrees, today released,
"Cisco's Skills-First Success: A Powerful Playbook for the
Private Sector" – an in-depth study that examines Cisco's
groundbreaking efforts to adopt a skills-first hiring approach,
yielding impressive business results and a more inclusive and
resilient workforce.
The case study illustrates Cisco's transformation after joining
OneTen in 2021, shifting from traditional degree-based hiring to a
skills-focused model that values competencies, experience, and
potential, regardless of a candidate's educational credentials.
Driven by the commitment to create equitable career pathways,
Cisco's skills-first strategy has expanded the company's talent
pipeline and demonstrated significant success in workforce
retention. Cisco has also achieved an impressive 96% retention rate
among skills-first hires through an approach that offers a
compelling skills-first blueprint for other companies aiming to
attract and retain talent in a tight labor market.
"We're proud that Cisco has joined the over 60 partner
organizations in supporting OneTen and of the progress we've made
as part of the coalition," says Chuck
Robbins, Chair and CEO of Cisco. "Together, we aim to
upskill, hire and advance Black talent, and others, without
four-year degrees. We recognize this as an important step
toward a more inclusive future."
"Cisco's unique, intentional approach to skills-first hiring
exemplifies how businesses can unlock untapped talent, creating
meaningful opportunities for those without four-year degrees while
driving innovation and growth," says Debbie
Dyson, CEO of OneTen. "We're proud to support Cisco in this
journey."
"OneTen was one of our first initiatives to focus on
skills-based hiring and it plays an instrumental role in how we
build our workforce of the future," says Kelly Jones, SVP and Chief People Officer of
Cisco." With OneTen, we're removing barriers and building
meaningful career paths for Black talent, and others, at
Cisco."
Key insights from the case study reveal that for skills-first
hiring to be successful, employers should:
- Set a Clear Vision and Values: An established
values-driven company, Cisco leadership examined its role in
advancing workforce equity and addressing challenges for
underrepresented employees. Together, they set a clear purpose for
skills-first hiring: to build an agile workforce that was
responsive to the company's business needs.
- Empower its Leaders: Cisco selected leaders with
relevant personal and professional experience to guide its
skills-first efforts, ensuring alignment with equity goals and
fostering a culture where a four-year degree was no longer viewed
as a determinant of success.
- Secure Budget and Buy-in: Cisco leadership centralized
funding for its skills-first hiring program and conducted a
comprehensive roadshow to build buy-in across senior leadership and
hiring managers.
- Partner with Hiring Managers: Cisco's approach included
comprehensive support for hiring managers, fostering the confidence
to recruit based on skills and capabilities.
- Prioritize the Needs of New Talent: Through its "OneTen
cohort" model, Cisco fostered a strong sense of community among new
hires, contributing to their job satisfaction and integration into
the organization.
- Measure Retention and Growth: Cisco tracked key metrics
such as retention and promotions and monitored skills alignment to
ensure hires had room to grow, adjusting placements as needed to
avoid turnover.
Read the full report here: "Cisco's Skills-First Success: A
Powerful Playbook for the Private Sector"
About OneTen
OneTen is a nonprofit organization committed to unlocking
opportunity for talent without four-year degrees. As a coalition,
we work with leading CEOs and their companies to transform hiring
and advancement practices through skills-first strategies and
connect talent without traditional college degrees to in-demand
jobs at America's top employers. Founded in 2020 with the intention
to close the racial wealth gap in the U.S. by removing unnecessary
degree barriers that limit access to jobs for Black talent, OneTen
is dedicated to closing the opportunity gap for all talent without
traditional college degrees. By prioritizing skills over degrees,
we can create greater economic mobility for talent while building a
more equitable and inclusive future workforce.
Join us at OneTen.org, where one can be the
difference. Discover skills-first hiring resources on OneTen
News.
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide
technology leader that securely connects everything to make
anything possible. Our purpose is to power an inclusive future for
all by helping our customers reimagine their applications, power
hybrid work, secure their enterprise, transform their
infrastructure, and meet their sustainability goals.
Discover more on The Newsroom and follow us on X
(formerly Twitter) at @Cisco.
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks
of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A
listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at
http://www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks
mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of
the word 'partner' does not imply a partnership relationship
between Cisco and any other company.
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SOURCE OneTen
