Much conversation focuses on the demands and needs of employers, but workers – as part of the supply side – have to have access to skills that will land them in good jobs, says Steven Lee, CEO, SkillUp Coalition – whose mission is to ensure that low-wage Americans get high-quality jobs at scale.

WorkingNation sat down with Lee at JFF Horizons in New Orleans.

“Right now, we have about 80,000 users a month which is a fair amount – about 10% are what we call ‘sticky’ which is that they stay on the site for a fair amount of time. That’s actually a really important number for us because if they stay sticky, we can do more with them over time,” explains Lee.

He addresses the call for employers to expand their talent pipelines to include people who have gained skills by way of alternate routes. “You, as a company, should think about how to source some of those candidates in a meaningful way. It’s going to add diversity, it’s going to add breadth, it’s going to add talent that you’re going to need to survive in the 21st century on. And you’re going to need those skill sets going forward in a diverse way.”

Learn more about SkillUp Coalition.