Partner Research | 2026  

Building an AI-Ready Workforce: A Policy Playbook for a Skills-Based Labor Market

Opportunity@Work’s Policy Agenda provides a roadmap for building a labor market where skills – not degrees — are the primary measure of value; where education, workforce, and employer systems are aligned; and where all workers have access to lifelong learning and advancement opportunities in a rapidly changing economy.

This playbook is designed to bring that agenda to life. Part I, focuses on Policy Area #1: Promoting skills as the key measure of value in the labor market, translating high-level policy priorities into practical strategies for policymakers.