Opportunity@Work

What Opportunity@Work does

Opportunity@Work is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise founded in 2015 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., with a mission to expand economic mobility for the 70+ million U.S. workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs) — those who gained skills through community college, military service, apprenticeships, certificates, bootcamps, or on-the-job learning rather than a bachelor's degree. The organization addresses what it terms the 'paper ceiling,' the systematic exclusion of STARs from middle- and high-wage jobs by degree screens and biased hiring algorithms, which cost STARs an estimated 7.4 million jobs between 2000-2020.

Its core product portfolio combines proprietary research (State of the Paper Ceiling annual report, STAR Mobility Compass, Rise with the STARs, Navigate with the STARs, Reach for the STARs), data and analytics tools (the AI-powered STARs filter natively integrated into Lightcast's Analyst, Talent Analyst, Developer, and Job Postings API platforms, plus the exclusive STARs Mobility Index ranking 50 U.S. regions), network programs (Transformers in the Public Sector accelerator serving 15 state and local governments, the STARs Public Sector Hub, and the 80+ member Tear the Paper Ceiling coalition), and direct worker-facing AI tools (CareerVillage Coach). The underlying technology is a skills intelligence and labor market analytics platform that analyzes job postings, identifies degree requirements, and matches candidates to opportunities based on demonstrated capabilities rather than credentials.

The business model is philanthropic: Opportunity@Work does not charge for any of its programs, tools, data, or services. It is funded through philanthropic grants and donations (notably a $20 million investment from Yield Giving in 2024 and $600K from Patrick J. McGovern Foundation in 2023) and provides research, customized tools, and implementation support to employers, state and local governments, training providers, and policymakers at no cost. The organization serves four primary customer segments: state and local government agencies, corporate employers, nonprofit training providers, and policymakers, with a primary focus on the public-sector skills-first hiring transformation (33 states committed to removing degree requirements, 255,000+ public-sector jobs opened through executive and legislative action). Distribution occurs through direct public-sector engagement, the Lightcast platform integration, the Tear the Paper Ceiling coalition, and self-serve website resources.

Name

Opportunity@Work

Legal name

Opportunity at Work, Inc.

Website

https://opportunityatwork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Opportunity@Work is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise that advances skills-first hiring for the 70+ million U.S. STARs workers, offering free research, data tools, coalition programs, and a public-sector accelerator to employers, governments, and training providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development Research and Advocacy

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Employment & Job Readiness Support Services (BPAGAEAJ), Career Readiness & Employability Skills (Resume, Interview, Networking) (EDAMAKAG)

Keywords

• Skills-first hiring research
• Workforce development analytics
• Labor market intelligence
• Nonprofit workforce coalition
• Skills-based talent solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grants and Donations: Opportunity@Work operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise funded by philanthropic partners including foundations and individual donors who invest in the skills-first movement.
2. Partnership Services: Provides research, customized tools, and services to employers and workforce partners advancing skills-first hiring practices; services are offered at no cost to facilitate adoption.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Opportunity@Work is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise that advances skills-first hiring for the 70+ million U.S. workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs). It produces research reports (State of the Paper Ceiling, Rise/Navigate/Reach with the STARs), an AI-powered STARs filter embedded in Lightcast's workforce data platforms, the STARs Public Sector Hub for government leaders, the Transformers in the Public Sector accelerator, and the national Tear the Paper Ceiling public awareness campaign with the Ad Council. All programs, tools, and research are provided at no cost, funded by philanthropic grants.

Product overview

Opportunity@Work is a nonprofit social enterprise offering a portfolio of interconnected research reports, data tools, and network programs rather than a single unified software product. The core research products include the State of the Paper Ceiling Dashboard (measuring labor market change), the STAR Mobility Compass (identifying pathways to higher-wage work), and foundational reports — Rise with the STARs, Navigate with the STARs, and Reach for the STARs — that together form the analytical foundation for skills-first hiring. These research outputs are operationalized through STAR-Inclusive Tech Tools, which embed AI-enhanced STARs insights into partner platforms via a native integration with Lightcast's Analyst ecosystem (including the STARs filter across Analyst, Talent Analyst, Developer, Job Postings API, eIMPACT). Opportunity@Work also operates the Tear the Paper Ceiling public awareness campaign (with Ad Council), the Transformers in the Public Sector accelerator for governments, and the STARs Public Sector Hub resource community. The AI-powered CareerVillage Coach provides direct-to-worker career guidance. Together these form a multi-layer approach: research and data (core intelligence), technology integration (scalable infrastructure), networks and coalitions (adoption), and direct worker support tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• State of the Paper Ceiling (SoPC) Dashboard Interactive public dashboard that tracks collective progress toward rewiring the labor market for STARs, featuring key metrics on job openings, wage gains, state commitments, and employer behavior changes; used by employers, policymakers, and workforce leaders.
• STAR Mobility Compass Research-backed roadmap and analytical tool that identifies mobility opportunities for STARs based on employer demand data, helping to pinpoint 10 million STARs who could move to higher-paid jobs by 2030 through skills-first transitions.
• STARs Insights on Lightcast STARs filter integrated into Lightcast's Analyst, Talent Analyst, Developer platforms, Job Postings API, and eIMPACT visualizations, enabling employers and workforce analysts to identify jobs and candidates eligible for STARs alongside standard filters for geography, education, and salary.
• Transformers in the Public Sector Accelerator Structured cohort-based accelerator program for state and local governments implementing skills-based hiring practices, offered in two tracks: Track 1 Hands-On Technical Assistance for active implementers and Track 2 Skills-Based Foundations for organizations starting their journey; 2026 cohort includes 15 governments.
• STARs Public Sector Hub Digital resource hub and learning community for federal, state, and local government leaders providing exclusive workforce data, implementation tools, technical assistance, case studies, and a community of practice to support skills-first talent strategies in the public sector.
• CareerVillage Coach AI-powered career guidance tool that helps STARs surface their skills and take the next step in their career at scale, generating personalized recommendations based on individual skills profiles and labor market data.

Quantifiable outcome

• STARs earn 13% higher wages than national average when hired through Opportunity@Work networks
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core, flagship, major and minor.

• Public AlliesstrategicGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 February 2026Milwaukee-based national nonprofit joined the Tear the Paper Ceiling coalition, contributing apprenticeship programs and advocacy work. Public Allies has launched careers of over 10,000 individuals since 1992.
• LightcastcoreTechnology or Integration · 22 January 2026Strategic partnership integrating STARs insights into Lightcast's industry-leading workforce data software platforms (Analyst, Talent Analyst, Developer, Job Postings API, eIMPACT). The STARs filter utilizes AI and skills intelligence to identify jobs suitable for workers without bachelor's degrees, making skills-first hiring data available across Lightcast's ecosystem serving thousands of employers.
• AI for Career Development CoalitionstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2026Near 100 organizations from education, workforce, employer, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors launched alliance to ensure AI strengthens access to high-quality career guidance. Coalition developing shared principles, standards, and guidance for responsible AI use in career navigation.
• Ad CouncilflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 November 2025Co-lead of the national 'Tear the Paper Ceiling' public awareness campaign featuring PSAs like 'Story Unfold.' The campaign promotes skills-first hiring practices and raises awareness of the 70+ million STARs in the U.S. workforce.
• National Governors Association (NGA) CentermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2025Collaboration on Skills in the States initiative to promote skills-first hiring and talent management strategies across public and private sectors, strengthening cross-sector workforce development through data-driven approaches.
• Volcker AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting partner for the Transformers in the Public Sector accelerator program, providing expertise in public sector workforce development and connecting the initiative with government leaders across states and localities.
• Brookings InstitutionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on AI's impact on employment pathways for workers without college degrees. Joint analysis found over 15 million workers in jobs highly exposed to AI disruption, with Brookings publishing findings on career guidance and skills-based hiring.
• Educare NetworkminorOthersOpportunity@Work CEO Byron Auguste connected through Raj Chetty (Harvard/Opportunity Insights) speaking at Educare Network's Catalyst 26 summit on early childhood education and economic opportunity.
• Year UpstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining program partner helping young adults access careers through soft-skills training and corporate internships, featured in Reach for the STARs research as example pathway for STARs like Tino Lei'a who transitioned from camp counselor to QA engineer.
• Merit AmericastrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlexible training and credentialing model for advancing careers in high-demand fields like IT, advanced manufacturing, and healthcare, offering online learning with in-person support and stipends for working adults.
• Workshops for WarriorsstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining organization helping veterans transition to civilian careers in advanced manufacturing, featured in research as example of accelerated training benefiting STARs like Zach Pierobello who became CNC machinist and safety team leader.
• Cornell University ILR SchoolstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Erica L. Groshen, Senior Economic Advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner, serves as Chair of the STARs Insights Advisory Panel, providing expertise on labor market data and policy.
• Guild EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation technology platform partnered with Walmart for Live Better U initiative, referenced in research as example of employer educational benefits supporting STARs' skill development.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Year Up: Year Up is a direct peer — a workforce development nonprofit providing training and corporate internships for young adults without four-year degrees. Opportunity@Work explicitly cites Year Up as a partner in the Reach for the STARs research, and both serve the same STARs population through overlapping employer networks.
• Jobs for the Future (JFF): JFF is a national nonprofit driving equitable economic advancement through workforce development, with deep focus on skills-based hiring and alternative credential pathways. Both JFF and Opportunity@Work work with employers, states, and training providers on rewiring hiring practices for non-degree workers.
• National Skills Coalition: National Skills Coalition is a policy advocacy nonprofit pushing state and federal skills-first policies, including degree requirement removal — closely paralleling Opportunity@Work's Tear the Paper Ceiling policy work and STARs Public Sector Hub.
• CareerVillage: CareerVillage operates CareerVillage Coach, the AI-powered career guidance tool explicitly built with Opportunity@Work and other partners to serve STARs. Both organizations share a direct product and mission alignment on career navigation for non-degree workers.

Broad incumbents

• Lightcast: Lightcast is the workforce data infrastructure partner embedding STARs Insights into its Analyst platform. While a partner rather than competitor, Lightcast is the broader incumbent in labor market analytics whose product suite Opportunity@Work's STARs filter rides on for distribution.
• Guild Education: Guild Education is a leading education benefits platform partnering with employers (notably Walmart's Live Better U) to provide skill-building pathways for working adults without degrees. Both target the same STARs population but Guild operates as a venture-backed for-profit platform.

Emerging players

• Apprenti: Apprenti is a nonprofit apprenticeship intermediary connecting non-degree candidates to tech and trade apprenticeships — a more narrowly focused version of Opportunity@Work's broader STARs employer matching mission.

Others

• Brookings Institution (Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative): Brookings is a research collaborator on AI's impact on STARs and serves as a research partner that amplifies Opportunity@Work's policy work. While not a competitor, Brookings is an adjacent peer in producing the evidence base for skills-first policy.
• Aspen Institute (Economic Opportunities Program): The Aspen Institute's Economic Opportunities Program conducts research and policy work on workforce development for low- and middle-skill workers — a thematic peer sharing research and policy infrastructure with Opportunity@Work.
• Ad Council: The Ad Council is the co-lead of the Tear the Paper Ceiling national public awareness campaign with Opportunity@Work. As a partner, the Ad Council provides massive public media reach that Opportunity@Work could not achieve independently.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OpptyatWork
• Facebookfacebook.com/opportunityatwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opportunity-work

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

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M&A1 record

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Opportunity@Work