Employers should include people without college degrees in their talent searches. A new campaign – Tear the Paper Ceiling – from Opportunity@Work and the Ad Council promotes STARs, people Skilled Through Alternative Routes, as strong job candidates.

Bertina Ceccarelli, CEO of NPower says the campaign gives visibility to what she calls, “the perception gap.”

She says, “When we see companies take those actions and think with deeper intentionality about what they really need, I think they recognize there is a whole other pool of talent that they’ve overlooked and ignored. Then, when they began to recruit individuals for aptitude, for life experience, for connected work experience, they’re able to bring in a whole other level of diversity.”

A number of NPower trainees attended The Paper Ceiling Launch in person. Ceccarelli says, “Students who are currently going through our program took an immense amount of pride at being in the room. Being acknowledged as smart individuals who have a whole lot to contribute, particularly in tech roles that they will be taking when they graduate from NPower. Being viewed and valued for the life experiences that they will bring these jobs and giving STARS a name and acknowledging the value of all those experiences.”

Learn more about The Paper Ceiling.
Learn more about Opportunity@Work.
Learn more about the Ad Council.
Learn more about NPower.