Why is it that workers who are skilled through alternative routes (STARs) often lack awareness of available career support? SkillUp believes that many workforce programs and awareness campaigns simply weren’t built with the ability to reach the right people. It’s imperative to catch people in the places they frequent most; whether that is on their phones, in their neighborhoods or at the venues where groups gather.
Scale goes beyond sheer volume of reach. Ultimately, it is about relevant reach. SkillUp doesn’t only show up online. We show up where it matters.
A Cultural Campaign to Shift the Narrative
Earlier this year, we partnered with Stand Together on the Who Are You (WAY) campaign — a bold national initiative that reimagines how young people and emerging workers think about success. Led by influencers, athletes and artists, WAY encourages people to rethink traditional career and success narratives and motivates them to forge their own path forward.
The initial launch of the WAY campaign tapped The Weeknd’s 2025 stadium tour to bring career identity into the literal spotlight. Additional star power from Iddris Sandu, Sir Richard Branson and Killer Mike added to the virality. “WAY is intended to give people social permission in a time when there is a lot of social pressure,” said Colette Weintraub, Head of Stand Together Music, Sports & Entertainment. “We want people to know they can define their own pathways to success, and there is more than one pathway. Most importantly, what success looks like is up to you.”
Within the larger campaign, SkillUp was featured as one of the tools people could use to explore training and career options outside the four-year degree track — a powerful addition to disrupt old systems and reimagine what’s possible. SkillUp continues to be part of the WAY campaign as it extends to other activations, including a local focus in Atlanta this Fall.
Why These Partnerships Matter
These kinds of large-scale partnerships are part of a deliberate strategy in how SkillUp shows up for STARs across the country. “If we want to reach millions of STARs in a way that resonates, we can’t rely on traditional channels alone,” said Desiree Jewell, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications at SkillUp. “Brand creator campaigns and cultural events are great examples of bridges that connect people to awareness and opportunity in ways that feel authentic. That’s how we’ll meet our mission at scale.”
In early 2026, we will launch another partnership alongside Grounded.org to bring clean energy-focused career navigation into cultural experiences where trust and engagement are already high. These moments of connection matter. They widen the aperture of what successful workforce development can look like, meeting STARs with the dignity and relevance they deserve.
A Broader Playbook for National Impact
WAY and Grounded are just two examples of how SkillUp blends traditional outreach with integrated, national partnership strategies that enable connection in a way no marketing outreach campaign can replicate.
We were a founding partner of Opportunity@Work and the National Ad Council’s Tear the Paper Ceiling campaign, a public awareness initiative focused on removing degree-based barriers for STARs in hiring and job access. We’ve teamed up with national brands like Goodwill, Verizon, UPS and Adobe to help their workers and general audiences gain new skills, and we previously partnered with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to shine a spotlight on local upskilling and career pathways in Appalachian Ohio, where Burrow grew up.
Together, these partnerships open doors to career tools for people who might not otherwise find support through traditional workforce channels. “While many of our efforts are public-facing, we also partner with some of the country’s largest employers to help workers navigate layoffs or reskill for new opportunities,” said Jewell. “These behind-the-scenes partnerships demonstrate how powerfully SkillUp can plug into national workforce needs.”
Looking Ahead: Reaching 10 Million by 2030
Our team is an ambitious bunch. Our north star is to reach 10 million STARs by 2030. Reach and impact at that scale won’t happen through digital marketing alone. It requires visibility and cultural relevance. It means we have to show up in spaces that don’t feel like workforce development — ones that spark curiosity and trust.
Each new collaboration and partnership helps us reach STARs in different ways with messaging that lands, with tools that deliver.
We know that the future of workforce development won’t be defined by job boards or credentials alone. It will be shaped by how and where we connect with people. And that is something we excel at.
