The fifth-anniversary celebration will feature the release of the latest “Counting Credentials” reports for the country, presentations from state partners, an announcement of an upcoming state policy academy, remarks from a bi-partisan panel of U.S. Senators, and insights from various funders of this work.

We have an engaging list of panel sessions below that will touch on many aspects of Credential Engine’s work. To learn more about the sessions and invited speakers, read our announcement here.

• Counting Credentials 2022 Report: The new report and findings will be shared with attendees. 

• Credential Transparency Context Setting: Larry Jackson, Senior Director of Retail Opportunity at Walmart, will offer insight from a funder’s perspective. 

• Open Data, Better Tools: States Work Towards Credential Transparency: Two Credential Engine state partners will present their work towards credential transparency.

• Focus on Equity and Students: Three experts in this space, Dr. Paul LeBlanc, Tina Gridiron, and Elena Quiroz-Livanis will share insights.

• What’s Next?: Credential Engine staff will provide organizational updates.

• Closing Session: You will hear from Credential Engine Board Chair, Barbara Gellman-Danley and Strada President and CEO, Stephen Moret. 

Register today. We hope to see you there!

Southern New Hampshire University Seeks to Unlock Opportunities with the Credential Transparency Description Language: Credential Engine and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) are working together to provide public linked open data about SNHU’s curriculum, including credentials, courses, competencies, pathways, and more through the use of the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL). The CTDL is a common data language that enables providers to organize, connect, and consistently describe their credentials and publish them to the Registry. As of now, SNHU has published to the Registry 114 credentials, 1375 courses, and 957 competencies that are transparently linked to each other with hundreds of CTDL connections across SNHU’s curriculum. In a recent blog, we dive into Dr. Paul LeBlanc’s book Students First and his compelling analysis of the problems facing higher education today. Then we discuss the major contribution and positive implications of SNHU publishing their curriculum. SNHU along with other organizations publish to the Registry with the goal of building new learning ecosystems that empower students to make better-informed decisions. Read the blog in its entirety here.

Credential Engine is hiring! Credential Engine is seeking a Solutions Developer to join its technical team. This person will help in advancing Credential Engine’s vision, mission, and goals of credential transparency to ensure that everyone can make their most informed decisions with regard to credential opportunities and pathways. Women and people of color are encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Please submit a resume and cover letter to [email protected] with “Solutions Developer” in the subject line to apply for this position. All applications are due by November 30th, 2022. The position will remain open until filled. Read the full job description.

Got certifications? Credential Engine will be making certifications easier to publish this winter! We will be helping certification bodies publish students’ most-desired information on training: the costs, requirements, duration, and occupations of certifications. Job descriptions, programs, career guidance tools, and labor market information will be able to link to these and give them relevant exposure. If you would like to publish or recommend a certification, please reach out to [email protected]. States can fill out our form here.

Bush Center Credentials Webpage: The George W. Bush Institute recently launched a ‘Credentials’ webpage that discusses credentials and the transparency gap in the United States. With nearly 1 million unique credentials in the U.S. alone, we need to have resources, like this webpage, that help explain the problems and solutions to credential transparency. Our goal is to illuminate credential transparency and through the resources included on the page, we are able to help innovators in this space understand the magnitude of the need for transparency.

National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Working Group: The NICE 2021-2025 Strategic Plan focuses on energizing, promoting, and coordinating a robust community working together to advance an integrated ecosystem of cybersecurity education, training, and workforce development. The goal is to prepare, grow, and sustain a cybersecurity workforce that promotes America’s national security and economic prosperity. The Transform Learning Process working group recommends using the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) as an articulated common definition of credentials. Learn more here.