# Transforming Workforce Development: Embracing Skills-Based Hiring Strategies
In the evolving landscape of talent acquisition, Susan LaMonica, CHRO at Citizens, is leading a remarkable transformation. Under her guidance, the Rhode Island-based financial firm has trained over 5,800 employees on in-demand skills, integrated AI into workforce development, and earned top wellbeing accolades in 2024. Her team has successfully implemented what many HR leaders aspire to achieve—reimagining the workforce with a skills-based focus.
## The Journey to Skills-Based Hiring
Citizens’ migration to a **skills-based workforce** has gained significant momentum over the past year. LaMonica attributes this acceleration to the rapid pace of change in today’s business environment. As she notes, roles are constantly “coming and going” based on the skills needed to complete work effectively.
The transformation began with a foundational step: educating employees about what “skills” actually mean in their context. The HR team built a comprehensive **skills taxonomy** that established a common language across the organization. LaMonica emphasizes that this shared understanding is crucial for effective communication, though she expects the taxonomy to evolve as the organization grows.
The skills initiative at Citizens operates on three levels:
– Managers and colleagues focus on skill acquisition
– All employees embrace a growth mindset, with leaders hiring and developing people who know how to learn
– Everyone takes responsibility for learning—both individually and as managers driving team performance
LaMonica stresses that leadership accountability is essential for nurturing a skills-based culture. This aligns with research from the Burning Glass Institute and Harvard Business School, which studied 11,300 roles at large companies that removed degree requirements. Despite the promise of skills-based hiring, many organizations have struggled with implementation—the study found only a 3.5 percentage point increase in hiring workers without bachelor’s degrees.
## Implementing Skills-Based Assessment
Citizens’ leadership approached this transformation with “eyes wide open,” recognizing that shifting to skills-based hiring isn’t an overnight process. LaMonica’s team is currently revamping the **candidate selection process** to better assess skills, ensuring a consistent approach throughout the employee journey.
“Traditional resumes and cover letters are less reliable,” LaMonica explains. To address this challenge, Citizens has adopted more robust assessment methods:
– Skills-focused assessments
– Panel interviews
– Pointed questions about specific skills claimed by candidates
This approach helps the organization better prepare candidates for what to expect if hired, creating a more transparent process for everyone involved.
## The Internal Talent Marketplace
One of Citizens’ most significant innovations is the launch of an internal talent marketplace called “Talent Matters.” This platform, which rolled out last year, was based on a vision that had been forming since 2018. LaMonica notes that at that time, the technology wasn’t sophisticated enough to support their plan, but today’s vendor partnerships have made it possible.
The timing couldn’t be better. According to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, the number of high school graduates will peak in 2025 before gradually declining through 2041 due to lower birth rates. Overall, the U.S. is expected to experience a 13% decrease from this peak by the end of the projection period.
LaMonica believes HR leaders must prepare for this demographic shift by rethinking talent pools and leveraging available workforce resources. The internal marketplace “opens the aperture of available talent” by being “hyper-personalized” to align with each employee’s:
– Skills
– Career aspirations
– Personal values
This system guides employees to relevant learning opportunities and connects them with colleagues who already have proficiency in desired skill areas.
## The AI-Powered Learning Journey
LaMonica describes AI integration as an “enterprise journey” at Citizens, with numerous use cases and pilot programs in progress. However, she clarifies that this isn’t simply about enhancing productivity or freeing up capacity: “For people to remain relevant, they have to up their skills.”
This perspective highlights the importance of accountability in the modern workplace. As AI enables more sophisticated work, employees who lack “intellectual curiosity” and the drive to improve risk displacing themselves—not just from Citizens but from the broader workforce.
To support continuous learning, Citizens has established several **learning academies** where employees can:
– Acquire new skills
– Earn badges showcasing their accomplishments
– Access dedicated time for intentional learning
Managers play a crucial role by encouraging employees and providing the capacity for this development. The strategy emphasizes accountability for skill acquisition across all levels of the organization.
## Creating a Future-Ready Workforce
LaMonica credits Citizens’ success to leaders who think with both “head and heart” about making bold moves around employee development, skills-based working, and perpetual learning. “We are always resetting the expectations of what good looks like,” she says.
This ongoing redefinition of excellence enables Citizens to adapt to changing market demands while developing talent from within. For organizations looking to implement similar strategies, key takeaways include:
– Establish a clear skills taxonomy with shared language
– Redesign assessment methods to evaluate skills directly
– Create internal marketplaces to connect talent with opportunities
– Integrate learning into the daily workflow
– Hold leaders accountable for developing team capabilities
By focusing on skills rather than traditional credentials, companies can build more adaptable, resilient workforces capable of navigating the complexities of tomorrow’s business landscape.
# Transforming Workforce Development: Embracing Skills-Based Hiring Strategies
In the evolving landscape of talent acquisition, Susan LaMonica, CHRO at Citizens, is leading a remarkable transformation. Under her guidance, the Rhode Island-based financial firm has trained over 5,800 employees on in-demand skills, integrated AI into workforce development, and earned top wellbeing accolades in 2024. Her team has successfully implemented what many HR leaders aspire to achieve—reimagining the workforce with a skills-based focus.
## The Journey to Skills-Based Hiring
Citizens’ migration to a **skills-based workforce** has gained significant momentum over the past year. LaMonica attributes this acceleration to the rapid pace of change in today’s business environment. As she notes, roles are constantly “coming and going” based on the skills needed to complete work effectively.
The transformation began with a foundational step: educating employees about what “skills” actually mean in their context. The HR team built a comprehensive **skills taxonomy** that established a common language across the organization. LaMonica emphasizes that this shared understanding is crucial for effective communication, though she expects the taxonomy to evolve as the organization grows.
The skills initiative at Citizens operates on three levels:
– Managers and colleagues focus on skill acquisition
– All employees embrace a growth mindset, with leaders hiring and developing people who know how to learn
– Everyone takes responsibility for learning—both individually and as managers driving team performance
LaMonica stresses that leadership accountability is essential for nurturing a skills-based culture. This aligns with research from the Burning Glass Institute and Harvard Business School, which studied 11,300 roles at large companies that removed degree requirements. Despite the promise of skills-based hiring, many organizations have struggled with implementation—the study found only a 3.5 percentage point increase in hiring workers without bachelor’s degrees.
## Implementing Skills-Based Assessment
Citizens’ leadership approached this transformation with “eyes wide open,” recognizing that shifting to skills-based hiring isn’t an overnight process. LaMonica’s team is currently revamping the **candidate selection process** to better assess skills, ensuring a consistent approach throughout the employee journey.
“Traditional resumes and cover letters are less reliable,” LaMonica explains. To address this challenge, Citizens has adopted more robust assessment methods:
– Skills-focused assessments
– Panel interviews
– Pointed questions about specific skills claimed by candidates
This approach helps the organization better prepare candidates for what to expect if hired, creating a more transparent process for everyone involved.
## The Internal Talent Marketplace
One of Citizens’ most significant innovations is the launch of an internal talent marketplace called “Talent Matters.” This platform, which rolled out last year, was based on a vision that had been forming since 2018. LaMonica notes that at that time, the technology wasn’t sophisticated enough to support their plan, but today’s vendor partnerships have made it possible.
The timing couldn’t be better. According to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, the number of high school graduates will peak in 2025 before gradually declining through 2041 due to lower birth rates. Overall, the U.S. is expected to experience a 13% decrease from this peak by the end of the projection period.
LaMonica believes HR leaders must prepare for this demographic shift by rethinking talent pools and leveraging available workforce resources. The internal marketplace “opens the aperture of available talent” by being “hyper-personalized” to align with each employee’s:
– Skills
– Career aspirations
– Personal values
This system guides employees to relevant learning opportunities and connects them with colleagues who already have proficiency in desired skill areas.
## The AI-Powered Learning Journey
LaMonica describes AI integration as an “enterprise journey” at Citizens, with numerous use cases and pilot programs in progress. However, she clarifies that this isn’t simply about enhancing productivity or freeing up capacity: “For people to remain relevant, they have to up their skills.”
This perspective highlights the importance of accountability in the modern workplace. As AI enables more sophisticated work, employees who lack “intellectual curiosity” and the drive to improve risk displacing themselves—not just from Citizens but from the broader workforce.
To support continuous learning, Citizens has established several **learning academies** where employees can:
– Acquire new skills
– Earn badges showcasing their accomplishments
– Access dedicated time for intentional learning
Managers play a crucial role by encouraging employees and providing the capacity for this development. The strategy emphasizes accountability for skill acquisition across all levels of the organization.
## Creating a Future-Ready Workforce
LaMonica credits Citizens’ success to leaders who think with both “head and heart” about making bold moves around employee development, skills-based working, and perpetual learning. “We are always resetting the expectations of what good looks like,” she says.
This ongoing redefinition of excellence enables Citizens to adapt to changing market demands while developing talent from within. For organizations looking to implement similar strategies, key takeaways include:
– Establish a clear skills taxonomy with shared language
– Redesign assessment methods to evaluate skills directly
– Create internal marketplaces to connect talent with opportunities
– Integrate learning into the daily workflow
– Hold leaders accountable for developing team capabilities
By focusing on skills rather than traditional credentials, companies can build more adaptable, resilient workforces capable of navigating the complexities of tomorrow’s business landscape.