Pioneering a Skill-Based Future: UCB's story

TechWolf’s COO Mikael Wornoo recently hosted a conversation with UCB’s Head of IT Talent & Company Reputation, Christophe Cabrerato, exploring how leading organisations are putting a skill-based approach in action today with three practical tips to help you get started. Christophe shared his experience of applying a skill-based approach to support the transition from a pharma to a bio-pharma company, plus his experience of working with TechWolf. Here are some of the main takeaways from the session:

From this starting point, UCB were able to identify three use cases to see how a skill-based approach could improve outcomes:

1. Strategic Capability Planning - identifying and tracking skills and moving from a top-down, internal and manual process to a top-down/bottom-up approach. This also included using market benchmark data with low manual input to create a data-backed skill gap analysis.
2. Job Catalogue - the creation of a solid skill architecture and governance structure that was regularly updated based on external market trends.
3. Internal Mobility - gaining a full overview of potentially suitable internal candidates for open positions and identifying what reskilling and investment was required.
   

Working with an initial group of around 500 employees, UCB compiled a comprehensive job catalogue, personal job descriptions, and learning and job history. TechWolf leveraged this data to:

1. Build a skill taxonomy
2. Map jobs to skills
3. Map people to skills

While UCB’s journey in skill development is ongoing, they are already harnessing skill data to drive value and significant transformation across the organisation. In just a few months, they have produced valuable skill insights to bolster strategic capability planning.

Mikael concluded the conversation with actionable insights for embarking on a skill-based journey:

1. Get going, with a goal in mind
   - Start with a trial project that is big enough to be meaningful but focused enough to be manageable
   - Be specific with a clear business problem to solve
   - Set ambitious but realistic timelines
2. Stop obsessing over who should own skills (for now)
   - A skills project can start anywhere in the business
   - There is no clear “owner” for skills
   - Be intentional about governance across the business
3. Focus on the value from skill data first. Integration will follow
   - Apply skill data to the business problem in practice
   - Then, set up integrations and processes to maintain it