Transforming human potential through work

Stand Together’s vision is for a society where every individual thrives by making meaningful contributions. Our efforts are centered on empowering people to discover purposeful careers that offer personal fulfillment and add value to their employers.

Unfortunately, people are being driven towards roles based on one-size-fits-all learning and workforce development pathways. K-12 and postsecondary educators encourage students to enroll in university programs as the only reliable path to success, without consideration of their individual goals and talents. Employers use degrees and job titles to determine people’s value, leading to a labor market split between degree- and non-degree holders. And policymakers distort incentives in favor of traditional degree programs, inhibiting innovation and choice.

The Stand Together community aims to shift how our country empowers people in the workplace. We’re doing this by partnering with employers to change their hiring practices to focus more on individual aptitudes and mindsets rather than pedigrees, supporting and growing awareness of alternatives to a traditional college education, and advancing policy reforms that change how postsecondary education and job training are financed.

We have seen significant results from these efforts: 18 states have eliminated or are in the process of removing degree requirements for public sector jobs. More than 1.6 million individuals have been linked to new career opportunities through alternative education and workforce training. Ninety top U.S. employers are working to implement new hiring strategies.