Inside a True, Skills-Based Organization
In this live episode of Skills Talks, Sandra Loughlin, Chief Learning Scientist at EPAM Systems, joins us from the HR Tech Conference to expose the biggest flaws in the skills technology market and how EPAM has built a true skills-based organization over 30 years.
Sandra shares:
✔ Why most HR tech stacks are broken and how to fix them.
✔ The real reason skills-based transformations stall—and why data is the missing link.
✔ Why companies must focus on tasks first, not skills to get real business value.
✔ How EPAM halved attrition and doubled productivity using skills data.
✔ The critical mistake most organizations make when implementing a skills strategy.
She also offers a blueprint for HR and business leaders looking to transition from hype to real impact, explaining how skills drive workforce agility, business growth, and competitive advantage.
Key Takeaways from Sandra Loughlin on Skills-Based Organizations
HR Tech Is Failing at Skills—Here’s Why
- Too many disconnected systems—creating siloed, low-quality skills data.
- HR tech is focused on people, not work—the missing piece is understanding skills demand from actual tasks.
- Executives think this is an HR issue—but it’s a business problem.
Why Most Skills Strategies Stall
- The #1 mistake: Organizations don’t connect people data with work data.
- HR can’t own skills alone—the business must drive it to be successful.
- Fixing skills data isn’t about technology first—it’s about getting the right governance in place.
How EPAM Built a Skills-Based Organization (And What You Can Learn From It)
- 30-year journey to becoming a true skills-based business.
- Built an AI-driven data lake to connect all people & work data.
- Skills aren’t just HR data—they’re embedded in how EPAM operates, hires, and delivers work.
- Achieved 50% lower attrition and doubled speed & productivity.
The Right Way to Build a Skills-Based Strategy
✔ Start with business problems, not HR goals.
✔ Map out your work first—skills follow.
✔ Fix data silos before layering AI on top.
✔ Prioritize high-impact areas (close to P&L) first.
✔ Governance matters—skills should be owned by the business, not just HR.
The Future of HR Tech & Skills
- From jobs to work: The future is skills matched to real tasks, not job titles.
- AI-driven work orchestration—intelligent automation of staffing, hiring & development.
- Why HR needs a data mindset shift: Skills must be integrated, structured, and constantly updated.
About the Speaker: Sandra Loughlin
Chief Learning Scientist | EPAM Systems
As Chief Learning Scientist at EPAM, Sandra Loughlin leads one of the most advanced skills-based organizations in the world. With over 30 years of experience, EPAM has built an AI-powered workforce intelligence platform that matches skills to real work, predicts workforce needs, and enables data-driven talent decisions.
Sandra is a leading expert in workforce transformation, people analytics, and HR tech—helping businesses move from theory to real-world skills-based strategies that drive productivity, retention, and agility.
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