Description

Karsten’s Ace Hardware includes five stores in the Phoenix area, with about 120 frontline employees. With a well-designed and highly used internal training system, the Ace Learning Place, employees can build their skills across a huge variety of topics. They can also earn badges, specializing in competencies that are core to serving Ace Hardware’s customers, like electricity, paint, plumbing, and more. Working in partnership with Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) and Arizona State University (ASU), Karsten’s Ace Hardware piloted a digital badge that enabled employees to have not only a portable, verified record of the skills they built but also a record that would move with employees, wherever their career took them. This brief by Haley Glover, senior director of UpSkill America, outlines the design, results, and lessons learned from that pilot, including increased satisfaction and motivation from employees.

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UpSkill America, an initiative of the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program, supports employers and workforce organizations to expand and improve high-quality educational and career advancement opportunities for America’s front-line workers. We seek to create a movement of employers, civic organizations, workforce intermediaries, and policymakers working collaboratively to implement education, training, and development strategies that result in better jobs and opportunities for front-line workers, more competitive businesses, and stronger communities. Follow us on LinkedIn and learn more at upskillamerica.org

The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program hosts a variety of discussions to advance strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. To learn about upcoming events and webinars, join our mailing list and follow us on social media.