At ANSI’s affiliate, Workcred, cultivating quality is at the root of everything we do to build a more integrated and effective U.S. credentialing system. Research and activities are focused on helping stakeholders better understand the quality, value, and effectiveness of credentials, so they can make more informed decisions. Read on for highlights from 2023-2024.
As we reach our milestone 10th anniversary this year, we want to express our gratitude to our many partners who have worked with us to improve the U.S. credentialing system. Together, we’ve made a lot of progress in raising awareness about the importance of quality, transparency, and collaboration when it comes to understanding the value of credentials. But the ultimate questions are: What is the true return on investment of credentials, and how do they help workers and employers meet their goals?
For starters, we need insights and data from the people who represent and work in the industry. The great news is that we’ve set efforts in motion over the past year to showcase the value and promise of credentials. And as we look to the future, we are more energized than ever to advance partnerships that will strengthen the quality of the U.S. credentialing system, and ultimately, our workforce.
Roy Swift, Executive Director
With more than 500,000 unique certificates, certifications, and licenses offered in the United States, it is difficult to measure outcomes and evaluate quality. With a grant from Strada Education Foundation, Workcred is providing strategic guidance to certification bodies in support of the development of a new national data trust that will bring together private and public data sources to answer key questions about employment, economic, and education outcomes associated with earning specific credentials.
To complement the efforts of the Strada grant, Workcred is using its Research-To-Action Fund to educate and provide technical assistance to additional certification bodies about the value of sharing data and to encourage their participation in the national data trust.
With microcredentials becoming an increasingly popular way for learners to earn a credential focused on a specific skill or set of skills, colleges and universities are exploring how microcredentials can support learners to earn degrees and become more competitive in the workforce.
Workcred is engaging with organizations like the University of Texas System to facilitate the adoption of microcredentials, and to develop case studies demonstrating the different ways that institutions are implementing microcredentials.
Learn more about microcredentials in the article by Isabel Cardenas-Navia, Associate Executive Director of Research at Workcred, "Microcredentials: Credentials at the Speed of Business."
There’s more than one route to a successful career—and Workcred and community college partners in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan are creating new pathways by embedding certifications into associate degree programs. Pathways in these colleges have been launched in behavioral health, cloud computing, cybersecurity, networking, health information technology, and a program that moves students from entry-level healthcare to an associate degree in nursing. Stay tuned for the publication of upcoming playbooks that will share project outcomes and allow community colleges to replicate these practices!
Workcred, Dallas College, and Bufflehead Strategies joined forces to develop competency-based apprenticeships that incorporate industry certifications. The success of this initiative—part of a U.S. Department of Labor grant—sparked interest in creating work-based learning programs that lead to successful employment and livable wages. Based on this successful program, ASTM International created a new American National Standard, ASTM E3416-23, to guide competency-based workplace learning programs.
Read a Workcred blog post to learn more about the new ASTM E3416 workplace learning standard and how it dovetails with two existing standards—ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 and ASTM 2659—to form a quality triangle for credentialing programs.
With the proliferation of new credentials, individuals struggle to determine what credential is right for them, and employers face the challenge of aligning credentials with occupations. Workcred shares knowledge about the value and use of credentials through various media channels—including an ongoing partnership with RVN Television’s Morning Coffee Expert Series. View recent episodes:
Workcred will continue to expand its impact with publications, blogs, presentations, and micro-chats that build support for the collection and analysis of credential outcomes data, increase the quality of credentials and credential pathways, and strengthen the development and implementation of quality work-based learning experiences. Keep up with the latest.