Washington, D.C., Sept. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Partnership for Skills Validation released first-of-its-kind guidance and resources to help skills-first leaders and employers validate skills for hiring, training, and advancement practices. This cross-sector agreement on guidance marks progress for the field and a commitment to building trust in skills, ensuring that learners and workers can demonstrate what they know and can do.

Based at the Center for Skills by the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), the Partnership is comprised of over 60 leaders across workforce development, education, and employment–including the SHRM Foundation, National Governors Association, Education Design Lab, Aspen Institute’s Upskill America, Knowledge Works, SOLID, and Grads of Life–who are committed to building a new skills-based economy through trusted and clear assessment practices.

“In today’s job market, knowledge, skills, behaviors, and performance have never mattered more. But we still lack consistent, accurate ways to measure them,” said Amber Garrison-Duncan, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at C-BEN. “We’ve brought together the foremost leaders in skills-first systems—from workforce, education, military, industry, and more—to build trust in skills by establishing clear, cross-sector guidance and best practices to measure what people can do.”

Despite record investments in education and workforce training, too many job seekers are overlooked because there is no standard way to validate skills. At the same time, employers in every sector struggle to identify and hire qualified talent. Skills validation solves this economic imperative by providing reliable, objective measures—like performance assessments, work samples, and first-person testimonials—so that hiring and advancement decisions are based on ability, not just traditional credentials.

The Partnership’s new resources are designed to help organizations and institutions at any stage—whether you’re just learning about skills-based hiring or looking to strengthen your existing approach—providing clear definitions, guidance, and practical tools.


Materials include:

• A Vision statement that explains the importance of moving towards skills-validation practices for our economy and workforce.
• A Common Language Glossary that provides new, industry-standard definitions of “skills” and other key concepts.
• A set of User Personas that illustrate how skills-based assessments can be understood and implemented from the worker, employer, and state perspectives.
• Principles for Quality at Scale that outline how performance-based evidence is key to building fair, transparent, and scalable systems. 

Download the Resources Here

Reliable skills validation benefits everyone: it opens doors to new jobs, advancement, and lifelong learning for employees. It leads to better hiring decisions, improved retention, and a stronger return on investment in talent for employers. It ensures that talent is recognized and mobilized where it is needed most—fueling innovation, productivity, and economic growth.

By issuing resources and creating consensus, the Partnership is making it easier to adopt, implement, and benefit from skills-first systems, ultimately making the skills-first economy possible. More industry guidance, including a policy agenda, employer practices guide, and summary of performance evaluation platforms to assist with skills assessment, will be released in the upcoming months.

To learn more about the Partnership for Skills Validation and the Center for Skills at C-BEN, access resources, stay informed about new materials, and join the movement to make skills-based hiring a reality in every sector, visit the Partnership for Skills Validation.

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About the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN)
C-BEN is a network of institutions, employers, and experts who believe competencies can unlock the future of learning—making education and training more flexible, responsive, and valuable. We support stakeholders across the spectrum of competency-based learning, from institutions and employers who want to embed competencies into their existing programs to those looking to design full competency-based degree programs from the ground up. For more information, visit c-ben.org.

About the Center for Skills by C-BEN (CFS x C-BEN)
The Center for Skills by C-BEN is the catalyst of consensus for industry leaders at the intersection of education, workforce, and employer hiring systems. CFS x C-BEN is driving transformation in skills-based talent ecosystems—creating objective, reliable ways to assess and validate skills; implementing quality practices; and sparking innovation and action. Together, we will blaze the trail toward a skills-based future that works for everyone.

About the Partnership for Skills Validation
The Partnership for Skills Validation brings together leaders from education, workforce, and employer hiring systems to provide groundbreaking guidance on how to measure, assess, and validate skills for hiring. Supported by Walmart, the Partnership’s work is driving transformation in talent ecosystems nationwide.

Amber Garrison-Duncan
Competency-Based Education Network
amber@c-ben.org