Overview

Credentials Matter analyzes how the credentials that students earn align with real-world employer demand. The project includes a website and a series of reports informed by extensive collection and analysis of supply, demand, and alignment data of industry-recognized credentials in several states.  The initiative’s findings and recommendations help stakeholders better understand and evaluate credentials’ value in the job market.

In 2020, the project updated the website and published a new report to present and analyze credential attainment data from across the nation.  Credentials Matter offers:

• Updated and expanded credential attainment data to reflect the most recent findings and the fact that more states are beginning to collect data.
• Postsecondary credential attainment data to better explore the full impact of Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways that begin in high schools and terminate in postsecondary study.

Recommendations from the project include:

1. Establish clear definitions and criteria for credentials of value—with the involvement of business and industry.
2.  Collect data on industry credential offerings and attainment across secondary and postsecondary systems.
3. Strengthen data quality. High-quality credential data are reliable, valid, complete and consistent.
4. Regularly evaluate and provide transparent reporting of student outcomes associated with credential attainment.
5. Expand access to and equity in high-value career pathway and credential offerings.
6. Clearly communicate the value of credentials across sectors and audiences.

Background

This project aims to illustrate the credentials available in the United States to inform policy decisions about how these credentials and pathways lead to employment opportunities and continual career advancements for learners.

Partners

ExcelinEd, Burning Glass Technologies, Carnegie Corporation of New York

Resources

About This Project - Credentials Matter

Credentials Matter: COVID-19 Case-Study (2020)

Credentials Matter – Phase 2: A 2020 Update on Credential Attainment and Workforce Demand in America (2020)

ExcelinEd and Burning Glass Technologies Credentials Matter Phase 2 Briefing

A National Landscape of High School Student Credential Attainment Compared to Workforce Demand (2019)

Where Credentials Meet the Market (2019)