SHRM Foundation Skills First Specialty Credential

In a rapidly evolving world of work, traditional hiring methods based solely on degrees and titles often miss out on qualified talent and limit organizational agility. The SHRM Foundation Skills First Specialty Credential is a first of its kind, 15-hour, self-paced credentialing experience that equips HR professionals with the tools, language, and strategies to lead a shift from legacy practices to modern, skills-first talent strategies.

This program is designed to help HR leaders and practitioners rethink how they source, develop, and manage talent—placing real-world capabilities at the center of every HR decision. Whether you're unlocking broader talent pools, reducing time-to-hire, or closing critical competencies gaps, this credential equips you with the strategies, tools, and language to lead the transformation.

Through five curated learning paths, you will explore every stage of the employee lifecycle—from recruitment to retirement—with a skills-first lens. You’ll learn how to:

• Understand and apply skills-first hiring and talent development strategies.
• Align organizational systems to recognize and reward skills over traditional credentials.
• Build and present a compelling business case for adopting a skills-first approach.
• Develop strategies for change management and implementation across HR functions.
• Evaluate and optimize skills-based practices using data and continuous feedback

This credential provides not only the why behind skills-first transformation, but also the how. You’ll finish the program with a ready-to-present business case, implementation strategies you can tailor to your organization, and the confidence to drive measurable talent outcomes.

Attention SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP credential holders!
The 16 PDCs that you earn toward recertification when pursuing your SHRM Foundation Skills First Specialty Credential will auto populate in your SHRM certification profile.

Please use our Accessibility Accommodation Form to request additional accommodations. This course is WCAG 2.1 AA compliant.

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