OneTen, a Merck initiative from executive chairman Ken Frazier, is an effort to remove barriers for potential employees, especially candidates of color. It rests on a simple proposal: Consider applicants’ possession of aptitude rather than sheepskin. Tom Avril reported the details in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The movement has been recognized with a business leadership award presented Apr. 27 at The Franklin Institute.

OneTen is an organization born of a simple Frazier-posed question: Why can’t CEOs hire more Black people?

The answer is foundational to the effort’s mission: hire one million Black employees in the next ten years by removing college-degree requirements from job descriptions.

A OneTen study confirmed the bias: Most well-paying jobs ($40,000–$90,000 annually) require a four-year degree, a credential that 75 percent of Black Americans are without.

Merck itself, across locations that include Lansdale, has recredentialed more than 1,000 positions and hired 350 Black employees who now qualify for them.

One is Cameron Johnson, an IT professional who learned the field’s intricacies from industry-specific educators, not a college or university.

“Just because [candidates] don’t have that piece of paper, doesn’t mean they don’t want to,” he said.

OneTen details are at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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Ken Frazier describes OneTen for himself.