Opportunity@Work is a U.S. nonprofit advancing skills-based hiring to remove the "paper ceiling" for over 70 million STARs - workers skilled through alternative routes rather than four-year degrees.
Opportunity@Work is a nonprofit organization working to rewire the U.S. labor market so that workers known as STARs - Skilled Through Alternative Routes - can work, learn, and earn to their full potential. STARs are people who have acquired skills through military service, community college, certificate programs, bootcamps, apprenticeships and on-the-job experience rather than through four-year degrees. More than 70 million Americans fall into this category. The organisation's stated aim is to remove the "paper ceiling", the invisible barrier that limits economic mobility for skilled workers without a bachelor's degree, and to advance skills-based hiring and advancement in place of degree requirements.
Its flagship initiative, the Tear the Paper Ceiling campaign, is a national effort to shift employer practice toward assessing demonstrated ability rather than credentials or pedigree. The campaign carries a goal of enabling upward mobility for 1 million STARs, opening up 10 million good-paying jobs, and doubling their earnings. Opportunity@Work works across technology innovation, labour market research, narrative change and employer engagement, operating in the United States within the fields of workforce development, education and credentials, and public policy.
The organisation takes a collaborative approach, partnering with leading employers, policymakers and ecosystem leaders, and engages federal, state and local governments on skills-based hiring. Its culture signals describe a mission-driven focus on economic mobility and equity, with an emphasis on skills and demonstrated ability over credentials.
