How NGA and AIR Are Advancing Skills-Based Practices in the Public Sector
Across the country, governors and other state leaders are rethinking how they attract, hire, and retain talent. Since 2022, more than 30 governors have taken action—through executive orders, legislation, and administrative reforms—to adopt skills-based practices that prioritize what people can do over traditional proxies like degrees alone.
Yet as states move from commitment to implementation, adopting skills-based practices without clear, validated skills data can limit impact.
To help close this gap, the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices has partnered with American Institutes for Research (AIR) to launch a new pilot to support NGA’s Skills in the States Initiative focused on defining and operationalizing job-related skills for high-demand public sector roles—laying the groundwork for a more modern, data-driven approach to public sector talent management.
Why Strong Skills Data Matters
Through NGA’s Skills in the States initiative and ongoing engagement with state and territory leaders, a consistent theme has emerged: states and territories are deeply committed to advancing skills-based hiring and talent management. At the same time, many have identified an opportunity to strengthen the clarity and consistency of the skills data that underpin these efforts.
When role-specific skills data is still emerging, implementation can vary across agencies and roles. For example:
- Experience or degree substitutions may be applied broadly rather than informed by clearly defined skill requirements.
- Job descriptions may not yet fully reflect the skills needed to succeed in the role.
- Hiring and advancement decisions can be harder to align with evolving job demands.
Strengthening access to high-quality, evidence-based skills data helps translate strong intent into consistent, effective, and scalable practice. This pilot is designed to support states and territories in building that foundation and fully realizing the promise of skills-based approaches.
A Partnership Built for Impact
The AIR–NGA pilot brings together complementary strengths:
- NGA contributes deep relationships with governors’ offices and state and territory agencies, insight into policy and operational realities, and a national platform for peer learning and scaling.
- AIR brings rigorous expertise in effective and evidence-based public sector workforce development, industrial-organizational psychology approaches, and hands-on technical assistance—ensuring skills data are both credible and usable.
Together, NGA and AIR are helping states move from aspiration to implementation-ready skills infrastructure.
What the Pilot Will Do
The pilot is structured as a two-phase effort balancing discovery, rigor, and real-world application.
Phase 1: Discovery and Planning
Launching in early February, Phase 1 will:
- Engage up to five states and territories currently implementing skills-based practices
- Identify one to two high-demand or high-volume public sector jobs per state
- Assess existing skills data, goals, and constraints
- Consult with philanthropic partners interested in supporting future phases
Insights from this phase will inform a white paper and refined concept paper to guide Phase 2.
Phase 2: Identifying Skills and Demonstrating Value
Building on Phase 1, Phase 2 will:
- Conduct a cross-state job analysis to identify validated knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)
- Develop a cross-state skills taxonomy capturing shared requirements and state-specific nuances
- Provide technical assistance to support use of skills data across hiring, classification, development, and mobility
- Conduct a cost and/or return-on-investment (ROI) study to assess the value of skills-based practices
What Makes This Approach Different
While many efforts support skills-based hiring, the AIR–NGA approach is distinct:
- Evidence-based: Skills are identified using validated job analysis methods.
- Cross-state by design: Supporting consistency, comparability, and scalability.
- Implementation-focused: Skills data are designed for use in HR systems and talent practices.
- Value-driven: ROI analysis helps states understand both costs and benefits.
What Participating States & Territories Gain
Participating states and territories will receive:
- Evidence-based skills statements for high-demand, high-volume roles
- Toolkits to replicate the approach for additional jobs
- Hands-on technical assistance tailored to their systems and priorities
- Early insights into the return on investment of skills-based practices
- Peer learning and shared insights across states
Looking Ahead
At its core, this pilot is about building the public skills infrastructure states and territories need to compete for talent, expand opportunity, strengthen workforce outcomes, and create a national model for moving from skills-based intent to skills-based impact.
As the pilot moves forward, NGA and AIR will continue to share insights, tools, and lessons learned—supporting states and territories as they refine, strengthen, and advance their skills-based practices.
To learn more about this effort, contact Sytease Geib, Skills-First Program Manager at sgeib@nga.org
To learn more about AIR’s work visit: https://www.air.org/skills-based-practices-people-and-performance
