SkillLab Life: Our values & how we practice them
Skilllab has grown in headcount and reach, becoming a globally-operating organization that helps people find educational and employment opportunities worldwide.
Throughout the growth, three core values have consistently directed us: being purpose-driven, fostering collaboration, and maintaining a learning mindset. At Skilllab, these principles are fundamental to the way we operate.
Purpose-driven: Empowering people by creating pathways to employment
Making a real impact on people’s lives by providing pathways to employment is what motivates us at Skilllab. Our vision, that everyone has a pathway to employment, and our mission, connecting people with jobs and education through the universal language of skills, are the heart of our work.
Our theory of change is the foundation of our work. Our theory of change begins with the recognition that many people lack awareness or do not fully understand the skills they possess, especially those that have been acquired through diverse life experiences. This lack of awareness often leads to a lack of confidence, as individuals may underestimate their abilities and not recognize the true value of their skills. This, in turn, can hinder their pursuit of further education or employment opportunities, despite possessing the necessary skills.
In response, we developed a technological solution that helps people to map and identify their skills, generate CVs, and get insights into their career pathways.
By empowering job seekers with this awareness, we increase their skill recognition, appreciation for skills gained from life experience, and confidence to communicate those skills. As a result, job seekers receive more individualized employment services and achieve improved employment and training outcomes. All in all, our product helps people across the world attain more sustainable career pathways and improved livelihoods.
Want to see SkillLab's impact in action? We regularly publish stories and reports showcasing the real-world results of our efforts. For instance, read this post about how we help the workforce in Ukraine overcome employment barriers.
Collaboration: We collaborate with our colleagues and partners to connect people with jobs and education
Collaboration is essential for achieving our goals. At Skilllab, we foster a culture of teamwork and open communication because we know that shared knowledge drives innovation and strengthens problem-solving. The following examples illustrate our practices for fostering a collaborative environment:
- As SkillLab grows, it's important that people from different teams know each other. For this reason, we created 'About You' pages on our intranet that allow SkillLabers to learn more about each other's personal backgrounds
- We organize regular retreats, company days, and office events to create informal opportunities for bonding, strengthening interpersonal relationships beyond daily tasks.
- Next, SkillLab’s operating model promotes cross-team collaboration and efficiency, breaking down silos to ensure seamless information flow.
- Additionally, we acknowledge the significance of collaborative skills by incorporating them into our performance evaluations and feedback cycles.
We know that by working together, we can achieve more than we could individually.
Learning mindset: We learn from each other and with every user to help people turn skills into careers
At SkillLab, we are committed to continuous learning and developing. We believe in learning from each other and our clients, always seeking ways to enhance our platform and impact. Learning never stops, and at SkillLab, we foster this mindset through:
- We promote knowledge sharing through lunch learning exchanges, where employees can present insights from their expertise or experiences. This creates an opportunity to learn from each other in an informal and engaging setting. It also helps foster a culture of continuous learning within the company.
- Additionally, we offer a Learning & Development (L&D) budget to support employees in their professional growth. This budget can be used for courses, workshops, or certifications relevant to their career goals. By investing in development, we encourage continuous skill-building and career progression.
- SkillLab is part of the Google for Startups Accelerator, providing employees with valuable resources and mentorship. Through this program, SkillLabers can connect with Google experts, gain industry insights, and access exclusive tools. This helps us stay innovative and grow as a company.
- Our engineering huddles bring technical teams together to align on projects and share knowledge. These sessions encourage collaboration, problem-solving, and best practice sharing across teams.
- Strong leadership is built through learning. We offer training programs for new people leaders to develop essential skills in communication, team management, and decision-making. By investing in leadership growth, we create a supportive and effective management culture.
You can read more about those in a learning-focused blogpost we had published. Growth is a lifelong journey, and those who embrace continuous learning will always find new opportunities to improve, adapt, and thrive.
Join our team
These three values—being purpose-driven, fostering collaboration, and maintaining a learning mindset—are the foundation of our success. They drive our decisions, shape our culture, and guide our every-day decisions. These values are what make SkillLab a positive and engaging place to work. Join us in this mission!
Check our Career’s Page to find our open positions. Follow-ups on Skilllab Linkedin Learn more about our hiring process in this blogpost.