Volume 31, No. 3: Credentials of Value |
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Welcome to Vol. 31, No. 3, of Connections, the newsletter of the National Career Pathways Network. In this issue, we focus on credentials of value — from stackable certificates to industry certifications to microcredentials — and their increasingly important role in today's economy.
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Don't Miss NCPN CONNECT 2021: A Virtual Conference
November 4-5, Begin at Noon EDT
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The NCPN conference is consistently one of the best professional development opportunities in the country. This year's virtual event will include keynotes, live breakout sessions (will be recorded and available for six months), networking for attendees, and more! On-demand prerecorded sessions will also be available for viewing at your convenience. Don’t miss this unique professional development opportunity!
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The deadline for session proposal submission has been extended to July 9. Share your best practices with stakeholders from across the country!
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Career Pathways Leadership Certification Institutes |
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The CPL institutes are two-day workshops designed to help practitioners design, develop, and improve Career Pathways programs. CPL I (Introduction to Career Pathways) covers basics such as employer engagement, aligning programs, and program design and delivery. CPL II (Deep Dive Into Career Pathways) helps attendees develop strategies for making existing pathways even better.
Register now to reserve your place at the October 7–8 CPL Institutes at Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel.
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A Quality Framework for Non-degree Credentials
Michelle Van Noy, Associate Director and Assistant Research Professor, and Heather McKay, Director, Education and Employment Research Center (EERC), Rutgers University
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Non-degree credentials are increasingly of interest as workers look for short-term options to gain employment-related skills and enter a career pathway. Particularly in the post-pandemic environment, finding ways to get to work quickly is an appealing feature of non-degree credentials. Non-degree credentials include certificates, industry certifications, occupational licensure, and apprenticeships, as well as badges and other newly emerging microcredentials. There are over 300,000 non-degree credentials in the marketplace, offered by a wide range of organizations including educational institutions, private training providers, industry associations, unions, and others. |
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Credential Transparency Bolsters the Impact of Education and Career Pathways
Scott Cheney, CEO of Credential Engine
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Learners and workers need as many pathways as possible to successful careers. Both Americans and the economy depend on it. But with an ever-changing and ever-growing credential landscape, learners, workers, credential providers, educators, employers, and leaders need help. That’s because there are nearly one million different credentials available in the United States. This includes secondary diplomas, certificates, degrees, certifications, badges, professional and occupational licenses, and so on. It is also estimated that the country spends nearly $2 trillion per year on education and training from educational institutions, employers, federal grant programs, states, and the military. |
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H2C the Latest of South Central College’s Successful Public-Private Partnerships |
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As a comprehensive community and technical college, South Central College (SCC) has a history of working with employers, community leaders, and K-12 partners on programs that will provide skilled employees in high-demand career fields. This focus, in turn, provides SCC students with tremendous opportunities to pursue a relevant education, learn the skills employers need, and land well-paying jobs. |
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A More Unified Community College: Strategies and Resources to Align Non-Credit and Credit Programs
Education Strategy Group
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From the Executive Summary: "Despite operating within the same institution, distinctions between non-credit programs and credit programs in structure, educational approach, faculty, and student resources compound to make programs feel worlds apart. While there are reasons for the separation of programs and some distinctions are in fact beneficial, other differences are simply default or arbitrary. And so, the two systems often exist separately, causing potential content duplication, lack of communication, and missed opportunities to collaborate and build pathways.... A new framework for alignment is needed." The proposed framework has five tenets: (1) Treat all students as students. (2) Build clear pathways between non-credit and credit credentials. (3) Align departments and governance. (4) Make programs credit-worthy or credit-based. (5) Remove barriers to transition.
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Certified Value: When Do Adults without Degrees Benefit from Earning Certificates and Certifications?
Strada Education Network, GALLUP, Lumina Foundation
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From the Executive Summary: "[T]he growth of non-degree credentials shows no signs of abating. However, thus far, relatively little is known about the value and impact of these credentials for those who attain them. To begin filling this gap, Strada Education Network and Lumina Foundation have partnered to better understand adults without degrees by examining data from the Strada-Gallup Education Consumer Survey, a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults ages 18–65 that explores Americans’ educational experiences and attitudes. This report is the first in a series, supported by the Strada and Lumina partnership, that will explore questions about the educational and workforce experiences of adults without degrees. About 99 million American adults do not have a college degree, and 44 million of them are not earning a family-sustaining wage. This new partnership will enable us to better understand these adults’ educational and work experiences—and most importantly, how we might provide greater economic mobility for more of them and their families."
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NCPN Workshops
NCPN workshops on Career Pathways and Adult Career Pathways are designed for high school and community college educators and workforce development personnel. NCPN can deliver workshops at your location. All topics can be customized to meet your needs.
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Exploring Pathways to Leadership: A New Era of Excellence in Adult Education
Adult educators often follow career paths that lead directly from the instructional classroom to the administrative conference room without the benefit of essential leadership development. If this describes your path, NCPN can help you acquire the core skills that will enable you to LEAD. NCPN offers comprehensive technical assistance and professional coaching for state and local adult education program teams and their partnering agencies. NCPN leverages its expertise to provide customized solutions in a supportive mentoring environment to meet your program’s unique needs.
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©2021 CORD. Connections is published by the National Career Pathways Network (ncpn.info), an organization of CORD (cord.org). NCPN assists educators, employers, and other stakeholders in planning, implementing, evaluating, and improving workforce education programs. Questions? Mark Whitney, 254-741-8315, mwhitney@cord.org
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