Launched by Opportunity@Work and the Ad Council, this 80+ Member Coalition Is Breaking Down Degree Barriers to Open Doors for Millions of Skilled Workers
CARY, NORTH CAROLINA / ACCESS Newswire / May 19, 2025 / The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) and its career exploration technology platform, SkillPointe.com, have announced a partnership with Opportunity@ Work and its program, the Tear the Paper Ceiling Coalition. The Coalition strives to link STARs - workers skilled through alternative routes, rather than bachelor's degrees - to quality jobs and programs.
"Joining the Coalition enables SkillPointe to expand its reach and dramatically increase usage among adult and other learners seeking to reskill or upskill to advance their career journeys," said NACCE President and CEO Rebecca Corbin, Ed.D. "To meet evolving employer needs and ensure student success, colleges must embrace innovative pathways that prioritize skills and credentials over traditional degree requirements."
Through the NACCE/ SkillPointe network of 350+ community college members reaching across all 1,100 U.S. community colleges, this partnership creates a powerful platform to expand opportunities for individuals seeking to achieve new career pathways for STARs - the focus of Tear the Paper Ceiling.
Chief Engagement Officer and Co-founder of Opportunity@Work Byron Auguste, added: "America's community colleges are the most significant skill-building pathways for STARs, and we are incredibly excited about the potential for this new partnership with NACCE and the SkillPointe platform. To date, we've mobilized more than 80 major partners to adopt skills-based hiring, opening pathways to better jobs for more than 70 million STARs in the United States today."
"Skillpointe is a free career exploration tool that helps potential employees efficiently identify affordable training options in their local areas," said SkillPointe Director Kevin Logan, Ph.D. "It is the number one online technology channel for businesses to reach new employees. According to Lightcast, 76 million Americans are ready to retire, and the U.S. faces a shortfall of millions of skilled workers in the decade ahead." SkillPointe recently launched a new AI-powered chatbot named "Jeremy" to enhance career exploration and student engagement.
Supporting NACCE's Community Colleges & Future STARs
SkillPointe's career exploration tool empowers all community colleges to boost enrollment in skilled trades programs by connecting students to high-demand career pathways, local training opportunities, and entrepreneurship through its Start Your Own Business resources. This advances NACCE's broader mission to increase visibility, enrollment, and innovation in skills-based education. In partnership with Opportunity@Work, this effort expands access and accelerates success for STARs across the nation.
About NACCE
NACCE is an organization of educators, administrators, presidents, and entrepreneurs focused on igniting entrepreneurship in their communities and on their campuses. NACCE has two main goals: to empower college leaders to approach the business of running a community college with an entrepreneurial mindset; and to grow the community college's role in supporting job creation and entrepreneurs in their local ecosystems. Visit: nacce.com.
About SkillPointe
Powered by NACCE, SkillPointe is an online technology platform that helps users obtain information on high-earning potential, in-demand jobs and affordable ways to invest in training in their area's community and technical colleges, helping local communities thrive. According to a recent study by Georgetown University, by 2031, the number of good-paying jobs in the U.S. will grow to 87.4 million, a 21 percent increase from 2021. Visit: skillpointe.com.
About Opportunity@Work
Opportunity@Work is a nonprofit social enterprise with a mission to increase career opportunities for the more than 70 million adults in the U.S. who do not have a bachelor's degree but are Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs). We envision a future in which employers hire people based on skills rather than their pedigree. We are uniting companies, workforce development organizations, and philanthropists in a movement to restore the American Dream so that every STAR can work, learn, and earn to their full potential. Visit: opportunity@work.org.
Contact Information
Carol Savage
Editor
editor@nacce.com
978857-1473
SOURCE: National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship
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