![A headshot of Matt Latimer next to text about skills-based hiring challenges and the public sector's role in improving it.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/9-Matt-Lat-1000x673.png")
Key Takeaway
In this op-ed for Governing, Matt Latimer argues that innovative wage subsidy programs and supportive public‑private partnerships are essential to realizing the promise of skills‑based hiring and helping workers without degrees demonstrate their abilities to employers.
In this op-ed, Matt Latimer explains why skills-based hiring has fallen short and highlights how public-sector innovation can help it achieve its promise. He points to San Antonio’s Ready to Work “working interviews” and Los Angeles County’s Transitional Subsidized Employment Program as examples of wage subsidies and wraparound supports that help trained workers demonstrate their abilities and secure good jobs.
Related Insight
![A teacher and three young children sit on a blue rug in a classroom, interacting with colorful paper shapes. A chalkboard and desks are visible in the background.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/pexels-rdne-8364069-1000x667.jpg")
Analyzing Texas’ Child Care Workforce: What Early Educators are Telling Us About Their Profession
We conducted a representative survey of 1,129 Texas child care program directors to understand the experiences of child care workers in the state and what can be done to improve the profession.