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Transparency
Credential Engine develops its data standards through open, inclusive, and transparent processes
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August 21st, 2025

Welcome to Transparency, Credential Engine's monthly newsletter. This month, we’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Jennifer Engle to our Board of Directors, highlight our project with AACRAO translating transcripts into skills profiles, share the new Work Shift op-ed on "credential labels”, new state partner updates, offer insights into Issuer Identity Registries, and more. Keep reading to learn more!

Credential Finder Numbers ([link removed]) : 105,962 Credentials, 11,567 Organizations, 48,093 Learning/Training Opportunities, 12,450 Competency Frameworks, 219,160 Competencies, and more! We encourage readers to explore the Credential Finder and learn more about the data in the Credential Registry.
Jump ahead:

> U (#Policy) pdates (#Updates)
> Policy Corner (#Policy)
> Partnerships (#State)
> C (#Technology) TDL Solutions (#Technology)
> News (#News)


** Updates.
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Unlocking Skills, Expanding Opportunity: Earlier this month, Credential Engine took the stage at GitLab Foundation’s Demo Day, hosted alongside OpenAI, to share our vision for a future where all learning counts and skills are visible for the 37 million Americans with some college but no degree. Together with our partners at the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), we showcased our AI-powered solution that translates college transcripts into job-relevant skills profiles. The idea is simple but powerful: if someone has completed college coursework, even without finishing a degree, they should be able to showcase those course skills on their resume.

The impact is already clear. More than 14,000 people have created profiles containing over 278,000 skills, and 75% report that these profiles will help them advance their careers. We are proud to be part of the GitLab Foundation AI for Economic Opportunity Fund grantee cohort and excited to scale this work. A big thank you to GitLab Foundation and OpenAI for spotlighting innovations that expand economic opportunity. Together, we can unlock skills and empower people. Learn more about this work here ([link removed]) .

Credential Engine Welcomes New Board Member: Dr. Jennifer Engle, Research Professor and Director of Policy and Strategy at Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, joins our Board of Directors ([link removed]) . Her research and work have focused on using data to improve postsecondary access, affordability, completion, and value for underserved students. Her extensive experience with data-driven solutions and focus on equitable outcomes will support Credential Engine’s work to provide transparent, comparable information about credentials and skills. Learn more about our Board of Directors here ([link removed]) .

A “Nutrition Label” for Credentials: What if choosing a credential was as straightforward as reading a nutrition label? For millions of learners and workers, understanding the value and relevance of a credential can be confusing. In a new Work Shift op-ed ([link removed]) , Scott Cheney, along with Noah Geisel, Michelle Van Noy, Hironao Okahana, and Melanie Gottlieb, make the case for a credential label: a simple, standardized tool that clearly communicates the skills, outcomes, and opportunities associated with a credential. Just like a nutrition label guides food choices, a credential label can help learners, workers, and employers make informed decisions.

By providing transparency, these labels make it easier to compare programs, understand transferable skills, and recognize qualifications that truly matter in the workplace. Read the full piece here ([link removed]) .

Skills First Future Supports Skills-Based Talent: The need to build more inclusive and future-ready talent systems, evaluating candidates based on what they can do, not only where they learned it, is growing. Credential Engine is proud to be a founding partner of Skills First Future, the nation’s most comprehensive hub for advancing skills-first talent strategies, from the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) Foundation. Through this partnership, we’re helping ensure that transparent, comparable credential and skills data fuel the tools, resources, and insights employers need to move from degree-first to skills-first hiring and advancement. Does your company need the tools and insights to make the shift? Start exploring what makes a difference:www.skillsfirstfuture.org.


** Policy Corner.
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Report Highlights Credential Transparency in New Workforce Strategy: The U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Commerce, and U.S. Department of Education recently released America’s Talent Strategy: Building the Workforce for the Golden Age ([link removed]) , outlining key steps to strengthen workforce development. Among its many insights, the report highlights the importance of credential transparency, helping learners, workers, and employers clearly understand the skills and value associated with different credentials.

By making credential information more accessible and comparable, we can help individuals make more informed choices about education and training, and help employers better identify qualified talent, strengthening the workforce for the future.


** Partnerships.
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Pathways for California Learners: Credential Engine is working with California MAP (Mapping Articulated Pathways), a statewide initiative that helps colleges, universities, and workforce systems create clear and connected pathways for learners. Together, we are integrating the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) and the Credential Registry into MAP’s ecosystem. This shared effort is to make it easier for students, institutions, and employers to see how learning connects to education and career opportunities.

The collaboration begins with a pilot cohort of up to five colleges using CTDL xTRA, our AI-powered data transformation tool. Insights from this pilot will guide a scalable statewide approach. By structuring Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) and skills data, MAP can expand recognition of military, workplace, and academic learning, building sustainable processes that strengthen pathways across the state.

California has already published more than 2,500 credentials, with colleges like Chaffey, Foothill, and De Anza leading the way in sharing credential, course, and competency data. This partnership lays the foundation for greater visibility and mobility in education and workforce pathways across the state. Learn more about our work here ([link removed]) .


** CTDL Solutions.
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Building Trust at Scalehttps://credentialengine.org/2025/06/09/building-trust-in-a-digital-world-scalable-solutions-for-verifiable-credential-ecosystems/: Issuer Identity Registries (IIRs) play a key role in building trust by verifying the identity of organizations issuing credentials, helping learners, employers, and institutions know which credentials come from legitimate, recognized sources. By adding this layer of verification, IIRs make the credential ecosystem more transparent and reliable. Credential Engine has already advanced this effort through the release of two new resources ([link removed]) : a research report and a governance framework for issuer identity registries. These resources were created, in collaboration with the Digital Credentials Consortium (DCC), to ensure that credential issuers meet verified standards and maintain credibility. As the credential
landscape continues to expand, these registries are critical for enabling trust at scale.
To further this work, we have formed an advisory group ([link removed]) focused on guiding the development and implementation of IIRs and other trust-building practices. Professionals from education, workforce development, technology, and policy are invited to join and help shape the future of credential transparency and credibility worldwide. Learn more and express your interest in joining the advisory group here ([link removed]) .


** News.
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1. NWACC launches pilot micro-credential program for fast-track training ([link removed])

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