See what's new with Credential Engine in "Transparency" our monthly newsletter.

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Transparency
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August 15th, 2023
Welcome to Transparency, Credential Engine’s monthly newsletter. This month we are introducing you to our newly released Pathway Builder tool, now available in our credential publishing system toolkit. This tool is open to the public and offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface that allows you to visually construct your pathway. Read more about this tool and what else Credential Engine has been up to this month below.
Jump ahead:
> Spotlight (#Spotlight)
> U (#Spotlight) pdates (#Updates)
> State Connections (#State)
> Technology & Support (#Technology)
> News (#News)


** Spotlight.
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Introducing the Credential Registry Pathway Builder

Learning and career pathways provide individuals with structured routes to gain knowledge, skills, and experiences that guide them toward meaningful and fulfilling careers while enabling lifelong learning. Pathways vary for different people and opportunities, so making data transparent helps everyone understand quality, equitable pathways.

The Credential Transparency Description Language ([link removed]) (CTDL) and the Credential Registry provide critical solutions for data transparency and are foundational for creating solutions that benefit everyone. The Pathway Builder tool builds off the data in the Credential Registry to communicate learning and career pathways, including credentials, courses, skills, jobs, and more from multiple providers. This tool enables publishing existing or creating new CTDL pathways through a drag-and-drop interface. And no matter your role in creating, supporting, and sharing learning and career pathways, the CTDL is beneficial to you and your stakeholders. When ecosystem players work together and publish CTDL-linked open data structures, they are building balanced ecosystems where everyone benefits.

Pathway Builder users include professionals with organizations that are designing or using existing learning and career pathways to help people achieve their goals. These users need the ability to visualize pathways, include a mix of components, and share them as CTDL data in the Credential Registry. Users can include:
* Education, training, and other credentialing organizations
* Employers
* Professional associations
* Other types of organizations designing or housing pathways

By utilizing the Pathway Builder, these users can effectively design and construct pathways that align with their specific objectives and requirements. The tool provides them with the flexibility to integrate various components, visualize the pathway progression, and publish the pathways to the Credential Registry for wider accessibility and utilization.

Our goal is to empower people to build quality CTDL data in the Credential Registry that’s foundational to pathways, and to link the components of learning and career pathways into beneficial human- and machine-readable data to power systems and applications. Using the CTDL and Credential Registry data to build pathways illuminates the best path forward for learners, workers, and employers by providing actionable data.

To get started publishing your pathways to the Credential Registry, log in or create an account here ([link removed]) .

Learn more about this tool and find all accompanying resources on our Pathway Builder page ([link removed]) .


** Updates.
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Credential Engine Informational Videos: Our goal at Credential Engine is to provide different types of resources that help explain our work and the tools we offer. Most recently, we launched our Pathway Builder ([link removed]) tool with the accompanying informational video ([link removed]) and our Badge Publisher ([link removed]) tool with the accompanying informational video ([link removed]) . These videos help provide a general overview of these tools and how they fit into the ecosystem. Additionally, we have our “Credential Transparency Illuminates Paths to a Better Future
([link removed]) ” informational video that helps explain our role in this landscape. All of our videos are available via our YouTube channel ([link removed]) . Follow the Credential Engine YouTube channel to be notified as we continue to share videos. If you have any questions about our work or how to get involved, please reach out to [email protected].

Career Opportunities at Credential Engine: [link removed] Engine is hiring! We are currently seeking to fill three positions: an Operations Coordinator, a Director of Business Partnerships, and a State Partnerships Manager focusing on K-12 and CTE.

The Operations Coordinator will provide support to Credential Engine, its Staff, Board, and Advisory Groups, be the point person for Credential Engine’s Salesforce management and optimization, and more. If you want to learn more about this role and how to apply, read the full job description here ([link removed]) . The Director of Business Partnerships will develop, lead, and maximize the organization’s Business Partnerships. If you want to learn more about this role and how to apply, read the full job description here ([link removed]) . The State Partnerships Manager will lead our efforts to engage K-12 and CTE partners around the country and build out publishing efforts around K-12 and CTE credentials and competencies as well as support the building of rich pathways, LERs, and constructive feedback information capabilities. If you want to learn more about this role and how to apply,
read the full job description here ([link removed]) . Contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions.

New Report on Non-Degree Credential Quality Imperative: National Skills Coalition has provided a new report ([link removed]) called “The Non-Degree Credential Quality Imperative,” which describes how quality non-degree credentials can lead to good jobs and family-sustaining wages. The report encourages state policymakers to invest in quality non-degree credentials, shares National Skills Coalition work with states to define, measure, and track quality, and offers takeaways for how to advance quality assurance so that policymakers feel confident in investing in them, so students have confidence in their training programs, and so employers know which programs effectively prepare people for careers. As states and systems develop frameworks around credential value and quality, we want to help you describe value using the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) and support publishing quality
frameworks ([link removed]) in the Credential Registry. That way information on the quality of credentials can be accessible, valuable, and useful to learners, workers, employers, and policymakers.

Credential Engine Contributes to South Africa’s JET Education Services Report: Check out this newly released study from JET Education Services that takes a deep dive into current global governance mechanisms in the work and learning space. Case Study #2 highlights Credential Engine and our governance structure. The study makes a meaningful contribution to current research on governance frameworks, provides recommendations for the future planning of similar platforms, and offers some key principles for the governance of digital platforms in work and learning. Read the full report here ([link removed]) .

National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy (NCWES) Report Calls Out Credential Engine: In the newly released NCWES Report, Credential Engine is highlighted along with the T3 Innovation Network and the Open Skills Network. The National Cyber Workforce Coordination Group (NCWCG) behind this newly released report ([link removed]) highlights Credential Engine as an organization they possibly can model to expand the use of Learning and Employment Records (LERs) to “publicize achievements, credentials, and skills among learners, employers, and education and training providers.” As a whole, this report is aimed at addressing both immediate and long-term cyber workforce needs. To learn more, click here ([link removed]) .

Did you Know?
* The Credential Registry, through the use of CTDL, is one of the largest bodies of linked, open, and interoperable data about the full breadth of the educational and occupational credentials ecosystem – in the world!
* At present, the Registry includes data about 2,500+ providers, 44,000+ credentials, 1,100+ competency frameworks, 58,000+ competencies, 18,000+ learning opportunities (courses and programs), 2,700+ assessments, and so much more.


** State Connections.
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[link removed] Digital Credentials Webinar Series: Credential Engine state partner, Indiana ([link removed]) , is hosting a three-part informational webinar series on digital credentials and wallets in the state. Indiana is advancing Learning and Employment Record (LER) systems to digitally show individuals’ skills, educational experiences, and work histories. LERs can make career pathways more accessible and equitable by providing jobseekers with detailed, verified and secure records of their skills, as well as educational experiences and work histories. This information can better match employers with potential employees. The audience for this webinar series is high school and post-secondary counselors, dual credit coordinators, admissions representatives, academic advisors, registrars, administrators, career advisors, employers seeking
skilled talent, and human resource professionals. The first webinar was held on August 2, with the next webinar scheduled for September 11th. Register for the second webinar here ([link removed]) . The third webinar will be held on October 4th.


** Technology & Support.
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Traversing Data Landscapes - CTDL Schema Crosswalks Planning Session: We invite you to our upcoming open CTDL schema crosswalks planning session on August 22nd at 10 AM ET, where we will delve into learning about the process of mapping schemas using the Data Ecosystem Schema Mapper Tool (DESM), focusing on data models in areas relevant to the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL). We’ll also seek input on next steps for pursuing mapping projects that are aligned to opportunities identified by the CTDL Advisory Group. If you are a schema manager or a learning ecosystem professional, this is a unique opportunity for you. Engaging in schema crosswalks and mapping offers a multitude of benefits to CTDL ecosystems. Learn more about this event here ([link removed]) , and register today ([link removed]) to
collaborate in this process.

New Resource on Simplifying Credential Data Management Using Credential Transparency Identifiers (CTIDs): We recently released a resource ([link removed]) on what a CTID is, how they work, and their role in this landscape. A CTID is a globally unique identifier associated with a specific credential or credential-related resource. The Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) defines 69 different types of resources utilizing CTIDs, including credentials, programs, courses, organizations, competencies, and more. Unique identifiers enable industries to help people identify, describe, and compare specific offerings. Examples of industry agreements about useful unique identifiers include UPC codes for retail products, URLs for web pages, ISBNs for books, GPS coordinates for locations, and MLS numbers for real estate listings. CTIDs bring the benefits of unique identifiers to
credentialing ecosystems. CTIDs allow credentials and their associated information to be distinguished, thoroughly described, and widely recognized through effective data management practices. Read the full resource here ([link removed]) .

Credential As You Go Releases Technology Playbook - Integrated Credential Management: This playbook ([link removed]) is designed to “explore issues related to the development of a technical infrastructure for integrated credential management, provide examples from higher education institutions that highlight effective practices in technology management, and provide relevant links and resources to help professionals improve practices in integrated credential management.” This playbook contextualizes CTDL by detailing several implementation considerations for various IT systems supporting the end-to-end credential functions, from the design and marketing of credentials to issuance and post-graduation support. Key IT systems include Student Information Systems (SIS), Learning Management Systems (LMS), Content Management Systems (CMS), Document Management Systems, Financial Management Systems, Reporting/Analytics
Tools, Transcript Service Providers, and more.


** News.
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1. Global Education Monitoring Report 2023: Technology in Education – UNESCO IITE ([link removed])

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