Margaret Walkup

“Doing this work changed my life,” Margaret Walkup says of her tenure with Yupro Placement, a national staffing firm committed to social good through skills-based job placement and career advancement for those facing barriers due to lack of access to resources, opportunity and experience. As VP of program and partnerships, Walkup creates programming and resources to grow the skills and confidence of Yupro Placement’s talent community. She also establishes partnerships with other talent providers, certification providers and major employers.

Walkup feels honored to come alongside Yupro Placement’s STARs — those who are Skilled Through Alternative Routes — to help them realize their career dreams and be recognized for the skills and value they add. Most of all, she enjoys coaching and preparing talent for success in the workforce.

Recently, Walkup created a series of workshops addressing common job-seeking questions. Now offered monthly, the workshops are a popular resource for their STARs. Walkup is also excited about the newly launched #skillsfirstjobsnow campaign, asking employers to commit to remove barriers and hire for skills. “Only 34% of the American workforce has a college degree,” she says. “So much talent is overlooked.”

Under Walkup’s leadership, Yupro Placement has increased its talent pool by over 370% since early 2020 and has a conversion rate to full-time employment that far exceeds the industry average. Walkup credits her parents, both of whom worked in public service, for instilling her desire to help others, to share what you have and to create opportunities for others. Her greatest satisfaction comes from seeing other people win, and Walkup couldn’t be happier at Yupro Placement.