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Degrees aren’t going away, but more and more people (more than 2-in-3 working age Americans!) don’t have one. We’re at the dawn of a skills economy, where being a skills-first employer is going to lead to a broader talent pool, a competitive advantage, and a more sustainable and successful future. SHRM Foundation and a growing set of partners and investors in this work, leading corporations, and service partners are building the infrastructure you will need to embrace this new paradigm: AI-driven advising, progress tracking, consolidated tools and trainings, a first-of-its-kind credential for HR leaders and hiring managers, and even a “Trip Advisor for skills tech” so you can compare notes with HR colleagues. In this session, we’ll showcase what “going skills-first” can do at one of America’s largest employers, and then walk you through some of the free and low-cost products available now or coming online soon that you can use to embrace not only formal education, but non-degree credentials, skills, competencies, aptitude, and attitude in your hiring and advancement practices.
Learning Objectives:
Direct Link to Session Materials: If the speaker provides session materials, you can access them via the app, web format or at https://presentations.shrm.org/.
Live Streaming and Recording: Unless marked 'in person only,' all sessions are live-streamed on the app or web format and available for replay 30 days after the event.
Acknowledgment of Technical Issues: While rare, technical issues may occur during sessions. We appreciate your patience as we quickly address them.
Accessibility & Accommodations Information: For detailed accessibility & accommodations information, visit INFO > FAQs in the app.
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Jennifer Buchanan
Vice President
Walmart Academy
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Jennifer is the Vice President of Walmart Academy, the learning arm of the world's largest retailer, where she leads the design and delivery of learning experiences that enable over 2 million associates to build skills for now and the future. She has experience in various learning and development roles at Department of Defense, American Express, Walmart and Sam's Club, where she has launched award-winning programs that have enhanced the learning culture, career development, and performance of the frontline and supply chain workforce.
Jennifer holds an Executive Program for Leadership Acceleration certificate from Harvard Business School Executive Education, a Master's degree in Education from the University of South Florida, and a Bachelor's degree from Florida State University. She has published multiple articles on learning and development topics and has been recognized as a Top 50 Learning and Development Professional and a CLO LearningElite Finalist. She is passionate about creating learning opportunities that empower associates to achieve their career dreams and contribute to the success of the organization.
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Papia Debroy
SVP and Chief Analytics & Research Officer
Opportunity@Work
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Papia Debroy serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Analytics & Research Officer at Opportunity@Work, a nonprofit social enterprise that is dedicated to improving economic mobility opportunities for workers who are Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs) instead of a bachelor’s degree. In her capacity, she oversees the research work that empower leaders across private, public and social sectors to drive positive change in the labor market, by harnessing the untapped potential of STARs, who collectively represent half of the American workforce.
Papia brings a wealth of experience to this role, having previously served as a Research Director at CEB, now Gartner, where she provided strategic guidance to major Fortune 1000 corporations on their workforce practices.
Papia’s published work focuses on labor markets, employer behavior, and worker economic mobility opportunities in regional contexts. This body of work forms the foundation for Opportunity@Work’s collaborations with Fortune 500 executive teams, workforce development organizations, talent and education developers and policymakers.
Papia is currently a Non-Resident Senior Fellow with the Metropolitan Program at the Brookings Institution. She earned her Ph.D. and masters degree from the University of Michigan, and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
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Wendi Safstrom
President
SHRM Foundation
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Wendi Safstrom is a senior non-profit leader committed to serving the public through philanthropic program management, cultivating strategic partnerships and managing and developing high performing teams. She has both association and nonprofit management experience including; national program development and administration, membership strategy, marketing and product development, grant management, development and donor stewardship, and leading cross functional teams. Safstrom currently serves as President for the Society for Human Resource Management Foundation (SHRM Foundation), where she leads the development and implementation of SHRM Foundation's programmatic, development, and marketing and communication strategies in support of SHRM Foundation's new mission and vision, creating growth plans and ensuring alignment with SHRM goals.
Prior to assuming the role at SHRM Foundation, Safstrom served as Vice President at the National Restaurant Association and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, where she led the development and implementation of their Foundation's most recent five-year strategic plan, and was responsible for all Foundation programming, including workforce development initiatives, scholarship and event management, community relations and engagement initiatives. The NRAEF's philanthropic programming supported a number of audiences including high school youth, veterans transitioning from service to civilian work and life, opportunity youth and incumbent workers. Of particular note, she led the implementation of the restaurant industry's premier high school career and technical education program, growing the program to over 2,000 public high schools, engaging over 150,000 students annually, nationwide. In 2016, she served as lead project director for the development of a $10 million contract awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor to develop the hospitality industry's first apprenticeship program, and was instrumental in the Foundation's reorganization and relocation of operations from Chicago, Illinois to Washington, D.C., transforming the staff and culture.
Safstrom has also held human resource management roles with the Leo Burnett Company and Hyatt Hotels Corporation in Chicago, Illinois. She has a BS in Business Administration from the Eli Broad School of Business at Michigan State University and was recognized as a member of the 2014 "Power 20" by Restaurant Business Magazine as a leader in philanthropy within the restaurant industry.