Opportunity@Work and the Ad Council Rally Employers Seeking a Resilient, Competitive Workforce to "Look Beyond the Paper"
New PSAs for Skills-First Hiring campaign highlight the competitive advantage of hiring STARs - workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes
NEW YORK, Nov. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on the measurable success of the first "Tear the Paper Ceiling" launch in 2022, the Ad Council and Opportunity@Work today unveiled new public service advertisements (PSAs), titled "Story Unfold," encouraging employers to embrace skills-first hiring practices and access overlooked talent.
Research from LinkedIn shows that hiring managers who start with skills are 60% more likely to find a successful hire. Yet, in the United States, more than 70 million STARs -- workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes, such as apprenticeships, certifications, on-the-job training, and more -- are too often disqualified for employment because they don't have a bachelor's degree. After decades of declining opportunity, the trajectory for STARs is starting to reverse on the heels of the launch of "Tear the Paper Ceiling" in 2022.
"We launched the Tear the Paper Ceiling campaign to shine a light on the 50% of U.S. workers who are STARs and show that if you don't have a STARs talent strategy - you only have half a talent strategy," said Opportunity@Work CEO Byron Auguste. "This campaign and its corporate, philanthropic, and public sector partners are proving what's possible when awareness and behavior change together. Job postings are measurably more open to STARs than in the early 2000s. Skills-first hiring isn't a theory—it's starting to work where and when it is fully embraced. Smart employers are tapping into STARs' talent, and winning."
The new PSAs encourage employers not to "throw away talent" by devaluing or disregarding the skills and abilities earned outside of a bachelor's degree. Viewers are directed to TearThePaperCeiling.org, where they can find tools and resources to take action. STARs can share their stories publicly and find career development resources, while employers will find playbooks and guides for getting started with skills-first hiring practices, along with case studies from organizations already hiring STARs.
"When we introduced the idea of the 'paper ceiling' as that invisible barrier that separates companies from skilled workers who don't have a bachelor's degree, we changed the national conversation around hiring STARs," said Michelle Hillman, the Ad Council's Chief Development Officer. "With our fantastic partners, we're excited to continue the momentum by speaking directly to employers and inspiring them to hire skills-first and help their organizations find a competitive advantage."
Created pro bono by world-renowned creative agency Ogilvy, and directed by filmmaker Loris Russier, a STAR himself, alongside production company PRETTYBIRD, the new PSAs speak directly to employers, urging them to look beyond the paper and discover how skills-first hiring can help them find the perfect hire. Using the metaphor of a crumpled paper that slowly unfurls to reveal a STAR's face, the "Story Unfold" PSAs encourage viewers to look holistically at their applicants, unfolding their story, to see their skills and experience that others might miss. STARs were involved in the production on both sides of the camera.
"Being a self-taught filmmaker and editor, I know the stigma and misinformation many STARs like me face when trying to land a job," said director Loris Russier. "But I also know that my work and skills speak for themselves, and I'm excited to use those skills to bring this story to life and help STARs everywhere get the opportunities they deserve."
"When hiring managers cling to outdated biases and rigid checklists, they filter out the raw talent their businesses truly need. Countless candidates are discarded on paper, yet brimming with real-world skills," said Hernan Ibanez, Head of Art, Ogilvy New York. "Our idea is a metaphorical, poetic response that addresses this problem from the very start. As it unfolds, it reveals a simple truth: the solution has been in front of them all along. They just need to open their eyes—and unfold it."
The "paper ceiling" was coined by the Ad Council, Opportunity@Work, and Ogilvy to describe the invisible barrier that comes at every turn for workers without a bachelor's degree. "Tear the Paper Ceiling" quickly became a rallying cry within the American workforce, media and culture since it debuted three years ago.
The term "paper ceiling" has since been widely adopted throughout industries, being referenced by political leaders on both sides of the aisle and in leading business publications (including Bloomberg, Fortune, the Harvard Business Review, and The New York Times). So far, 31 states have pledged to remove degree requirements for state employment, and the skills-first hiring movement has inspired over 1 million commitments to open jobs to STARs, hundreds of thousands of which have already been made real.
The campaign has grown to be supported by a coalition of 85 national private sector and nonprofit organizations – and companies in the coalition are creating meaningfully greater opportunities for STARs. Since the launch of the campaign, over 76,000 STARs within public and private sector organizations that partner with Opportunity@Work have experienced upward mobility, resulting in a $17,000 median wage gain.
To date, "Tear the Paper Ceiling" PSAs have received over $120 million in donated media and have driven nearly six million visits to the campaign website. This year's campaign will be supported by Spark Foundry, the media agency of record, and in media by Indeed, Kargo, LinkedIn, and Walmart, among others. PSAs will appear in donated media nationwide in TV, radio, digital, out of home, print and social-optimized video formats. For more information, visit TearThePaperCeiling.org.
About the Ad Council
The Ad Council convenes creative storytellers to educate, unite and uplift audiences by opening hearts, inspiring action and accelerating change. For more than 80 years, the nonprofit organization and its partners in advertising, media, marketing and tech have been behind some of the country's most iconic social impact campaigns – Smokey Bear, Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk, Tear the Paper Ceiling and many more. To learn more or get involved, visit AdCouncil.org, join the Ad Council's communities on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, and view campaign creative on YouTube.
About Opportunity@Work
Opportunity@Work is a 501(c)3 nonprofit social enterprise on a mission to rewire the labor market so all Americans can work, learn, and earn to their full potential. Our work advances economic opportunities for the more than 70 million U.S. workers who are Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs) instead of through a bachelor's degree. Opportunity@Work engages with corporate, public sector, and philanthropic partners through landmark research and labor market data analysis, public awareness and narrative change, STARs-centric software tools, and multi-sector networks. The Tear the Paper Ceiling campaign, in partnership with the Ad Council and a growing coalition of more than 80 business and nonprofit leaders, raises awareness of STARs and the paper ceiling, and motivates organizations to adopt skills-first hiring practices. Learn more at www.opportunityatwork.org.
About Ogilvy
Ogilvy has been creating impact for brands through iconic, culture-changing, value-driving ideas since the company was founded by David Ogilvy 75 years ago. It builds on that rich legacy through Borderless Creativity – innovating at the intersections of its advertising, public relations, relationship design, consulting, and health capabilities with experts collaborating seamlessly across more than 120 offices spanning 90 countries. Ogilvy currently ranks as the #1 global agency network for creative excellence and effectiveness by WARC, signifying its ability to deliver creative solutions that drive unreasonable impact for clients and communities. Ogilvy is a WPP company (NYSE:WPP). For more information, visit Ogilvy.com, and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook.
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SOURCE The Ad Council