In 2015, Hope Street Group established the Sync Our Signals (SOS) initiative to transform the U.S. workforce ecosystem currently lagging behind the rapidly changing world of work. The mission of SOS is to ensure every individual reaches their full potential with unencumbered access to economic mobility.

Through root-problem framing and crowdsourcing, we began by proposing that the well-known “skills gap” was a symptom rather than the cause of workforce inefficiencies. Those inefficiencies are actually a “signaling” problem involving employers, education providers, and individuals. Today, we see a tremendous shift in the field and wide-scale agreement that “signaling” is indeed the problem. America has untapped, quality talent that could fill millions of open entry-level and middle-skill jobs and advance if the “signals” were functioning properly.

Over the past three years, Hope Street Group has collaborated with education and workforce organizations and employers across the country to test agreed-upon SOS principles and to determine the needs for local execution. We have designed solutions through industry-specific networks that address the signaling inefficiencies across the workforce system. Through consistent employer engagement, practice change, better coordination across stakeholders, and a focus on supporting intermediaries, we have made an impact. This report summarizes our work across key programs, the reach and outcomes, and our vision for the future.

Sync Our Signals Impact Report