How can we find better ways to measure and value the job skills possessed by Americans who don’t have a traditional college degree? Byron Auguste, a former White House economic adviser and current CEO at Opportunity@Work, says screening out job applicants who can’t check the degree box eliminates opportunity for millions of people who already have what it takes to do a great job.

LISTEN TO MORE PODCASTS

About Byron Auguste

Byron Auguste was inspired by a diverse set of experiences to co-found Opportunity@Work in 2015. From his large extended family to a diverse range of friends, he knows so many people who found themselves stuck, unable to contribute their full talents, nor to be rewarded for them. As an economist, he sees this waste of talent as a classic market failure. Prior to co-founding Opportunity@Work, Auguste served for two years in the White House as Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, where his policy portfolio included job creation and labor markets. Until 2013, Auguste was a senior partner at McKinsey & Company and co-authored several McKinsey Global Institute reports.

Season 1, Episode 5 Transcript: Download