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

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Transparency
Credential Engine develops its data standards through open, inclusive, and transparent processes
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May 16th, 2024
Welcome to Transparency, Credential Engine’s monthly newsletter. As we enter the warm months, we are providing our readers with a summer series on the value of the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) throughout the credential lifecycle. This series will span several months in our spotlight section, highlighting each of the lifecycle stages mentioned below and providing new accompanying resources and videos. Keep reading to learn more!
Jump ahead:

> Spotlight (#Spotlight)
> U (#Spotlight) pdates (#Updates)
> Policy Corner (#Policy)
> State Connections (#State)
> News (#News)


** Spotlight.
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In this multi-part newsletter series, Credential Engine will examine the full lifecycle of a credential, from its initial creation through its power to maximize talent in the workplace. For each of the ten major stages along this journey, we’ll explore the systems used to manage and support the credential, how those systems can leverage linked open data to ensure interoperability to add meaning and relevance, and how transparency in this ecosystem benefits a variety of stakeholders.

The ten stages of the credential lifecycle are grouped into three phases:

In the Planning & Connecting phase, credentials are created and offered by education and training providers.

In the Learning & Education phase, individuals acquire new knowledge and skills, complete learning programs, and are awarded credentials.

In the Job Placement & Advancement phase, employers use a skills-based approach to source well-qualified candidates and assist their employees to grow their abilities via ongoing education.

All too often, the systems and data used in these phases are siloed. As a result, educators, employers, learners, and workers struggle to understand credentials’ meaning, value, and relevance in specific contexts. By using the linked open data structure of the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) and the information in the Credential Registry, a chain of valuable information is interconnected across these disparate systems, including skills, pathways, occupational alignments, quality assurance, and other useful details.

The next part of our series will take a closer look at the Planning and Connecting phase, to understand the value added by linked open data in the creation and marketing of credentials, and the process of enrolling learners in training and education programs.
Learn more about the value of CTDL throughout the credential lifecycle here ([link removed]) .


** Updates.
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[link removed] Work with Us! Credential Engine is hiring a Publishing Partner Success Manager ([link removed]) . This role will lead the accounts and publishing team, develop effective publishing guidance materials aligned with organizational goals, and support a growing number of partners publishing to the Registry. Learn more about the qualifications, primary responsibilities, and additional information about this role here ([link removed]) . If you are interested in applying, please submit a resume and cover letter to [email protected] with “Publishing Partner Success Manager” in the subject line. Priority will be given to applications submitted by May 24, 2024, with all applications due by June 7, 2024. The position will remain open until filled.

Credential Engine Welcomes New Staff Members: We are excited to welcome two staff members to the Credential Engine team! Rohit Joy is our Lead Technology Solutions Engineer responsible for managing the Credential Engine Technology Solutions team and the Credential Registry and Publishing System architecture. He joins us from Microsoft, where he grew into a Principal Engineering Manager and worked on well-known products and processes such as OneDrive, multiple Azure Cloud services, databases, compilers, A/B Testing, and AI platforms, including those that utilize LLMs.

Sneha Edula continues her work with Credential Engine in her new role of Solutions Architect, transitioning from contractor status to a full-time employee with us. Sneha has a major role in the development and maintenance of the Credential Registry Accounts and Publishing Systems, including the Credential Publisher, Pathway Builder, and Credential Finder. Learn more about Credential Engine staff here ([link removed]) !

Call for Participants - CTDL Vendor Assessment Tool Advisory Group: Credential Engine requests your contributions in developing a common vendor assessment tool, the Credential Transparency Description Language Vendor Assessment Tool (CTDL-VAT), and supporting resources. The CTDL-VAT is intended to alleviate the confusion and misunderstanding that often plague first-time buyers and sellers of products and services supporting credential and skill transparency, including publishing to the Credential Registry, consuming data from the Credential Registry, and aligning with CTDL.

We are calling on participants to collaborate in the Advisory Group, proactively share experiences with vendor selection processes, develop and comment on drafts of resources, and assist as needed with promoting the pilot participation and ongoing use of the CTDL-VAT. To review the CTDL-VAT Advisory Group draft Charter, click here ([link removed]) .

Click Here to Join the CTDL-VAT Advisory Group ([link removed]) .


** Policy Corner.
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Department of Commerce Announces DAO that Includes Credential Transparency Elements: In a recently released Department Administrative Order (DAO) from the Department of Commerce, they establish a workforce policy agenda focused on “preparing workers with the education and skills necessary to accelerate the development and deployment of critical and emerging technologies.” Within the agenda, they establish that one of the eleven attributes of a highly effective workforce investment is to “lead to stackable, industry-recognized credentials and ensure that information about credentials is publicly accessible through the use of linked open data formats that support full transparency and interoperability.” We appreciate the Department of Commerce for recognizing the importance of linked open data formats, like the CTDL, and how these data formats can support workers and learners in their journey to gain the necessary skills for a successful future. Read the full agenda here
([link removed]) .

Credential Engine Letter to House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence: On May 9th, Credential Engine sent a letter ([link removed]) to the U.S. House of Representatives Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) identifying the importance of structured data, like the CTDL, to the success of AI systems, and to consider structured data and initiatives bolstering structured data in any upcoming policies focused on AI. Structured data can benefit AI and support federal policy reforms like the House Education and Workforce Committee’s recent bipartisan update to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Specifically, the CTDL can provide a common language and format for describing programs, credentials, skills, jobs, and the connections between them, allowing AI tools to analyze the patterns and relationships within this information, leading to more reliable and consistent insights for workers,
employers, and policymakers. You can learn more about the value of the CTDL for AI here ([link removed]) .


** State Connections.
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New State Joins Credential Enginehttps://credentialengine.org/credential-engine-partners/federal-state-and-regional/ Partnerships - Tennessee: We're thrilled to announce that Tennessee is the latest state to partner with Credential Engine. Through the work of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the Credential Registry has been identified as the "critical solution" to host data to power the state's comprehensive learner record (CLR). Credential Engine will enable program and credential competencies for 13 community colleges and the 24 Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT) to be accessible as linked open data and published to the Credential Registry. Competency data will comply with the CTDL, and as such they will have CTIDs - or globally unique identifiers - that can be consumed in the CLR being developed by Level Data. By publishing this vital data, the Tennessee Board of Regents can now effectively manage and utilize linked open data within the CLR framework.

State and Regional Partner Meeting on Credentials of Value: On May 8th, the Credential Engine team hosted its quarterly State and Regional Partners meeting that focused on credentials of value. As states and systems develop frameworks around credential value and quality, Credential Engine can help describe value using the CTDL and support publishing quality frameworks in the Credential Registry, allowing information on the quality of credentials to be accessible, valuable, and useful for learners, workers, employers, and policymakers. This webinar discussed how we can help support work in credential transparency and quality, and experts in the field discussed how they developed credential value and quality frameworks. Watch the webinar today ([link removed]) and be on the lookout for our next state and regional partners meeting invitation.


** News.
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Check out this interview with the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) where Credential Engine staff member, Rachel Vilsack, discusses the role data plays in building equitable pathways, and how this work connects to Credential Engine and the larger ecosystem. Watch the interview here ([link removed]) .

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