Credential Engine has received a new grant from Walmart to support initiatives on Learning and Employment Records (LERs) across several states. LERs are secure, digital, and shareable collections of an individual’s learning and work experiences that aim to help people better pursue education and employment opportunities. Credential Engine will help states integrate in-depth information about credentials, skills, outcomes, pathways, etc. to maximize the value of LERs to learners, workers, employers, and others.

In today’s employment landscape full of changing skill requirements, LERs will be an essential tool for people and the economy. The promise of LERs includes the integration of rich credential and competency information to help map pathways to further education and employment. Credential Engine technologies, such as the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) create greater alignment between LERs and learning and employment opportunities. Read the Press Release.

The National Institute for Innovation and Technology receives funding from the US Department of Labor to lead the expansion of the nation’s Registered Apprenticeships in strategic supply chains

The National Institute for Innovation and Technology (NIIT) has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Labor to expand the use of Registered Apprenticeships to provide better access to careers in strategic supply chains for all workers, especially underrepresented populations. The funding will be used to scale the NIIT’s GAINS program (Growing Apprenticeships In Nanotechnology and Semiconductors), designed to expand the use of Registered Apprenticeships in related industries. The national program partners working with the NIIT to facilitate the GAINS program include Maher & Maher, an affiliate of the American Institutes for Research (AIR), the Manufacturers Association of Central New York, and Credential Engine.

“Leveraging our ability to help identify and align credentials and certificates with target industry requirements in the NIIT National Talent Hub in support of expanding Registered Apprenticeship Programs provides a great opportunity to advance credential transparency,” said Scott Cheney, CEO of Credential Engine. “We look forward to our work with the NIIT and in helping to improve access to careers in the semiconductor and nanotech sectors by helping individuals get the most out of the opportunities they have and will acquire over time.” Read the Press Release.


 

Useful Resources: State Success Stories and Toolkit 

Through our State Success Stories, Credential Engine has been working diligently to highlight the excellent work our 27 state and regional partners are doing. These Success Stories offer concrete examples of how the work is unfolding and insights on planned next steps. They also offer a snapshot into the types of organizations and state agencies that are driving the work forward across the country. These examples can inform how other states could embed credential transparency into larger initiatives and achieve state goals. To accompany these Success Stories, we also offer an interactive and searchable Toolkit where you can find general resources to move you forward on the road to credential transparency. Toolkit resources can be filtered in various ways including your level of engagement in this work, audience types, and topic areas. Success Stories and the Toolkit will continue to be updated with more examples, so continue to check back frequently! Explore our state partnership page and resources.
 

Credential Transparency Illuminates Pathways to a Better Future

The credential landscape is vast and ever-growing. Such a complex credential landscape comes with inherent problems and potential barriers if not aligned and mapped properly. This article presents credential transparency as the best solution to help people understand their options, pursue credentials and skills, and enter the workforce. In doing so, the authors explain what credential transparency means in practice and how technologies like the Credential Transparency Description Langauge (CTDL) and the Credential Registry can enable progress. Included in this discussion is an exploration of the many roles and responsibilities higher education leaders can take to advance credential transparency. Read the Article.