Overview
Lightcast partnered with Opportunity@Work to help promote skills-based decisions in the government, enterprise, and education sectors. We each share the belief that when it comes to hiring, a person who can do the job should get the job.
"STARs Relevant" is a job posting filter that utilizes Lightcast’s models and skills intelligence in combination with Opportunity@Work’s research and analytics to help customers identify opportunities, companies, industries, and regions that prioritize capabilities over degrees in order to attract talent.
Opportunity@Work defines a STARs Relevant job as a role that provides economic mobility and is accessible to workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs). Providing this insight at the data layer supports surfacing high-value opportunities for an untapped talent pool and shifting skills-first hiring efforts into practice.
Labor Market Context
Over 70 million Americans—representing 50% of the US labor force—do not have a four-year bachelor’s degree. Instead, they learned highly valuable skills through pathways such as community college, workforce training, bootcamps, certificate programs, military service or on-the-job learning. STARs work in every field and occupation across the labor market, from travel and hospitality to retail, health care, information technology, manufacturing and more.
Opportunity@Work’s research has proven that millions of STARs possess the skills required for higher-wage work, yet, they have been systematically excluded from career advancement opportunities, held back by the “paper ceiling” – the invisible barrier of degree screens and biased algorithms that blocks their access to better jobs. The field-building research developed by Opportunity@Work now has real-world implementation through the Lightcast ecosystem.
With the STARs Relevant job posting filter, Lightcast and Opportunity@Work enable customers to lean into the skills-based economy and create a labor market that truly works for everyone.
STARs Relevant Use-Cases
Across the Lightcast Analyst platform (Analyst, Talent Analyst, and Developer), users can apply the STARs Relevant filter in all of the job posting reports, the same way they can filter job postings by region, occupation, salary requirements, etc.
The STARs Relevant job posting filter enable customers to analyze the skills-based economy and make more strategic decisions in a range of use-cases.
Government
Identify STARs relevant job opportunities for unemployed workers
Target training and supportive services to partner with
Inform workforce policy and employer engagement
Support workforce planning for government employment entities
Enterprise
Audit where four-year degrees are truly necessary
Redesign job descriptions and hiring requirements
Expand and diversify talent pipelines
Education
Align programs with STARs relevant jobs
Design shorter, skills-based pathways
Strengthen employer partnerships and learner outcomes
To learn more about how Opportunity@Work defines a STARs Relevant job, please the methodology and frequently asked questions article here.