Provide Feedback
Learn & Work Ecosystem Library
▤ INDEX ▦ GLOSSARY ✦ AI ASSISTANT
Latest article on Library’s role within info landscape
Provide Feedback
Index
Glossary

Organization Tags: INC

Academic advising

Academic advising is the collaborative process by which students engage with a member of their institution (professor, mentor, or advisor) to receive direction or advice on academic or personal decisions. […]

Talent Finance – U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation

Overview Talent Finance is an initiative by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation focused on developing new financial strategies to support education and workforce development. The initiative collaborates with public […]

Access 4 Learning (A4L)

Founded in 1997, Access 4 Learning (formerly the SIF Association) is a non-profit organization focused on enhancing the interoperability of educational data systems. A4L collaborates with educational institutions, governments, and […]

Acreditta

Acreditta is a private company focused on digital credentialing solutions. Based in Latin America, the company offers services that allow educational institutions, businesses, and organizations to issue, manage, and verify […]

Upward Mobility Initiative – Urban Institute

Overview In September 2024, Urban Institute published the Upward Mobility Data Dashboard which is an outcome of the Upward Mobility Initiative. The initiative addresses the need for communities throughout the […]

Association for Institutional Research (AIR)

The Association for Institutional Research (AIR) is a global non-profit organization founded in 1966 and headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida. AIR is dedicated to supporting higher education professionals in the use […]

Project Kitty Hawk – North Carolina

Overview The 2021 North Carolina General Assembly allocated $97 million to start Project Kitty Hawk, a nonprofit ed-tech startup focused on producing a diverse, globally competitive workforce, fostering scholarly research, […]

Tech-Labor Partnership on AI – AFL-CIO & Microsoft

Overview In December 2023, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and Microsoft Corp. launched a partnership to create an open dialogue to discuss how artificial […]

Skills-First Hiring for State Government-California

Overview California is one of 21 states that has adopted skills-first hiring practices for state government positions. This approach means that college degrees and job histories are no longer being used […]

Build Better Careers Initiative – CAEL

Overview In July 2024, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) launched a 3-year workforce development initiative with support from Truist Foundation’s Where it Starts Initiative. CAEL is creating pathways to […]

National Applied Artificial Intelligence Consortium (NAAIC)

Overview In August 2024, the National Applied Artificial Intelligence Consortium (NAAIC) announced receipt of a $2.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF ATE).  Consortium implementation […]

ASA Center for Career Navigation at JFF

Overview In July 2024, Jobs for the Future (JFF) with support from a multi-year $25 million grant from American Student Assistance, announced it will create the ASA Center for Career […]

EU Digital Identity Wallets – European Union

Overview The European Union (EU) is creating EU Digital Identity Wallets to meet the challenges of digital identification for citizens, residents, and businesses across Europe.  The Identity Wallets are proposed […]

Learner Variability Navigator – Digital Promise

Overview In 2018, Digital Promise created the Learner Variability Navigator.  The Navigator is an interactive tool (also referred to as a platform) that provides research-based strategies and resources tailored to key factors […]

HBCU Adult Learner Initiative (ALI)

Overview In fall 2021, Lumina Foundation awarded a $2 million grant to the HBCU Adult Learner Initiative (ALI) to identify and eliminate various barriers blocking adult students from the education […]

Data 101 – Data Quality Campaign

Overview In 2023, the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) issued Data 101, a briefing book to inform education leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders about key topics related to education and workforce […]

Kentucky Graduate Profile and Profile Academy

Overview Launched in 2021 by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, the Kentucky Graduate Profile is a collaborative statewide initiative among Kentucky’s public postsecondary institutions. The initiative focuses on enhancing […]

Work Shift

Overview Work Shift is an independent, nonpartisan news organization, where news judgments and editorial decisions are made independently. Work Shift is a digital hub for news, analysis, and opinion focused […]

Gallup Polls, Reports, & Partnerships

Overview Gallup Inc. is an American analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1935, the company became known for its public opinion polls conducted worldwide. In the […]

Reach University Apprenticeship-based Degrees

  Overview Reach University is a nonprofit university that focuses on K-12 teacher preparation and administrative credentials for school leaders. Credentials are acquired through an apprenticeship model. The mission of […]

New Jersey Pathways to Career Opportunities

Overview In December 2021, New Jersey’s community colleges and the New Jersey Business and Industry Association launched the New Jersey Pathways to Career Opportunities—Aligning Education to Build an Innovative Workforce.  […]

Career Connect Washington (CCW)

Overview Career Connect Washington (CCW) is a statewide network of business, labor, education, and community leaders creating work-based and academic programs for young people to explore, learn, and earn money […]

Skills-Based Talent Ecosystem – ETS & SHRM

Overview In June 2024, ETS and SHRM announced their initiative to develop a Skills-Based Talent Ecosystem. The initiative focuses on three talent-specific elements that are important to addressing the future of […]

Project Unicorn (Data Interoperability in K-12 Education)

Overview Project Unicorn is a national initiative to improve data interoperability within K-12 education. Coordinated by InnovateEDU (Brooklyn based non-profit organization), the initiative works with a coalition of organizations representing […]

Forming STARS — Wisconsin

Overview Forming STARS is a professional workforce advancement program offered through the WisCaregiver Careers program, and is an initiative aimed at recruiting individuals to start a career in healthcare with […]

Education Policy Program — New America

Overview The Education Policy Program is an initiative of New America, a think tank founded in 1999 in the United States. It focuses on a range of public policy issues, […]

Center on Education & Labor — New America

The Center on Education & Labor is a part of New America, a nonprofit think and action tank, that develops policies, platforms, products, and new practices to advance equity and […]

Rework America Alliance

The Rework America Alliance is an initiative originally launched by the Markle Foundation, and now managed by Jobs for the Future. The alliance is focused on providing assistance and resources […]

Credentials Futures Coalition (CFC)

Overview In July 2022, four founding members established the Credential Futures Coalition (CFC) — AACRAO, 1EdTech, C-BEN, and UPCEA. The Coalition is composed of non-profit stakeholders working to develop a scalable, resilient, […]

Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship Program – Tennessee

Overview In 2022, the Tennessee Department of Education announced a new way to develop K-12 teacher pipelines through an apprenticeship model and was the first state to be approved by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) to establish a […]

BuildWithin: Software Platform in Apprenticeships

Overview BuildWithin is a software platform that launched in November 2022 to provide employers with the ability to create, manage, and expand apprenticeship programs in order to accelerate the productivity […]

STEM Transfer Partnership (STP) – State of Washington

Overview The STEM Transfer Partnership (STP) initiative established by Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) is creating systemic change within STEM degree pathways in the State of Washington through collaboration between […]

The EdUp Experience Podcast Network

Overview The EdUp Experience Podcast Network is an independent podcast network with a goal to facilitate positive educational change and inspire lifelong learning through podcasts, livecasts, and other mediums. There […]

Beyond Transfer Policy Advisory Board (PAB)

Overview Funded by ECMC and facilitated by SOVA, the Beyond Transfer Policy Advisory Board (PAB) was launched in 2020 to advance the work of dismantling inequitable credit mobility and transfer […]

BACK TO WORK 50+ – AARP

Overview AARP Foundation launched BACK TO WORK 50+ in 2016 to provide unemployed older workers with tools and coaching resources to help them compete for high quality in-demand jobs. A […]

National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) – Ireland

Overview The National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) of Ireland describes the qualifications used in the nation’s education and training system.  The 10-level NFQ classifies the level, class of award, and […]

The MICROBOL Project

Overview The MICROBOL project (Microcredentials linked to the Bologna key commitments) was a 2-year effort (2020-2022) to explore whether (1) existing Bologna tools are fit for microcredentials, (2) to propose […]

Recover Stronger

In 2021, Jobs for the Future JFF launched the Recover Stronger initiative in response to the significant disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. This initiative sees the challenges created by […]

The Power of Systems Initiative – NASH

Overview The National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) manages a number of projects within its Power of Systems initiative launched in December 2021, and expanded in spring 2024. NASH […]

State Opportunity Index – Strada Education Foundation

Overview In April 2024, Strada Education Foundation published The State Opportunity Index to help state policymakers and higher education institutions assess how well they are leveraging post-high school education — […]

Artificial Intelligence Incubator Network — AACC

Overview Launched in 2022, the 18-month Artificial Intelligence Incubator Network Initiative is designing and building Artificial Intelligence (AI) Incubators across the U.S.  Managed by the American Association of Community Colleges […]

Business Leaders United for Workforce Partnerships – BLU

Overview Business Leaders United is an initiative of the nonpartisan nonprofit, National Skills Coalition. BLU is a free, private business network that promotes inclusive, high-quality skills training policies that build the skilled workforce […]

Florida Ready to Work – Assessments & Courseware

Overview Florida Ready to Work is a career readiness training and credentialing program established in 2020 by Chapter 445 Section 06 – 2020 Florida Statutes – The Florida Senate:  Florida Ready […]

Reentry 2030

Overview Reentry 2030 is a nationwide initiative launched in April 2022 to scale reentry success for people transitioning from incarceration to their communities. The initiative calls on leaders across the […]

The Manufacturing Readiness Project – SOLID LLC

Overview The Manufacturing Readiness Project launched in 2023 to make it easier for military veterans to find quality civilian careers in manufacturing—and for manufacturers to build a talented workforce.  The […]

LER Accelerator

Overview The LER Accelerator was launched in 2024 with support from Walmart.  The effort is boosting the adoption of Learning and Employment Records (LERs) in postsecondary education by focusing on […]

Access in Prison Initiative – JSTOR

Overview The JSTOR digital library enables incarcerated people to access scholarly materials and texts online in more than 1,000 U.S. prisons across all 50 U.S. states. Learners use JSTOR resources […]

United States Qualification Framework (USQF)

Overview In 2023-2024, the United States Qualification Framework (USQF) Advisory Council designed and developed a proposed National Qualifications Framework for the U.S. which was issued in 2024. USQF’s goal is […]

The Great Admissions Redesign – Lumina Foundation

Overview The Great Admissions Redesign is a grant-funded initiative of Lumina Foundation that responds to the evolving landscape of college admissions. In February 2024, Lumina announced the winners of its […]

Noncredit Research Collaborative

Overview Researchers from four universities (University of Michigan, University of California-Irvine, University of North Carolina – Charlotte, and Rutgers University) are partnering in the Noncredit Research Collaborative launched in early […]

1EdTech Open Badges Standard

Overview Open Badges are information-rich visual tokens of verifiable achievements earned by recipients and easily shared on the web and via social media. The Open Badges standard describes a method […]

Digital-Reskilling at Universities (D-Reskill Project)

Overview The D-RESKILL@U Project, coordinated by Sorbonne Université, focuses on providing European higher education institutions with guidelines for online lifelong learning offers at the post-bachelors level for the reskilling or […]

Universal Credit Transfer Explorer – Ithaka S+R

Overview In February 2024, Ithaka S+R launched a public, non-profit, national credit mobility website. The aim of the initiative is to help address the challenges college students face when they […]

Playbook: Learner Supports (Credential As You Go)

Overview Credential As You Go is an initiative working with many partners toward a nationally recognized transferable incremental credentialing system that increases the number of high-quality, post-high school credentials that […]

College Excellence Program — The Aspen Institute

Overview The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program aims to advance higher education practices, policies, and leadership in ways that help institutions of higher education make the choices that matter most […]

Forum for Community Solutions — The Aspen Institute

Overview Launched in 2012, The Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions is a program focused on addressing community challenges through collaborative efforts among community organizations and leaders. The program facilitates […]

Value Data Collaborative (VDC)

Overview  Launched in 2024 by the Institution for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), this initiative brings together representatives from states, institutions, and higher education systems to use data to better understand […]

Non-Degree Credentials Research Network (NCRN)

Overview The Non-Degree Credentials Research Network (NCRN) is a project funded through a grant from Lumina Foundation (2024-2025) and managed by researchers at the George Washington Institute of Public Policy […]

Job & Skill Trends Tool – EUROPASS & ESCO

Overview Launched in October 2023, the Job & Skill Trends Tool developed from collaboration between ESCO and Europass as part of the implementation of the European Skills Agenda. The Tool relies on […]

TrustEd Microcredential Coalition — 1EdTech Consortium

Overview The 1EdTech Consortium established the TrustEd Microcredential Coalition to help realize the potential benefits of microcredentials for learners, educators, and employers. Founding members of the coalition include senior representatives from: […]

Credential Chats – AACRAO

Overview The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) launched a communications initiative in early 2024 called “Understanding the Future of Credentials – Credential Chats.” The goal of […]

CCA Accelerator – Complete College America

Overview In August 2023, Complete College America, a national non-profit organization focused on raising postsecondary attainment in the U.S., announced selection of 11 state partners to join the national Complete […]

WIOA Workforce Programs

Overview The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) was signed into law on July 22, 2014. The Act is designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and […]

STEM Talent Challenge – EDA

Overview The STEM Talent Challenge is an initiative by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), a bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce, that aims to build STEM talent training systems […]

California Reconnect

Overview A 3-year initiative launched in Spring 2023, the California Reconnect Program is a collaborative effort from the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), InsideTrack, and Project Attain.  California Reconnect […]

Noncredit Mobility Academy

Overview In December 2023, Education Strategy Group, SHEEO (State Higher Education Executive Officers Association), and Opportunity America at the Progressive Policy Institute launched the Noncredit Mobility Academy.  The two-year Academy […]

ADVANCE Integrated Education and Training (IET)

Overview The ADVANCE IET (Integrated Education & Training) project (2022–2025) is being conducted by the American Institutes for Research in partnership with World Education, Inc. and funded by the U.S. […]

Z-Degree Initiatives

Overview A Z-Degree refers to a degree program, typically at the associate or bachelor’s level, where all the required courses and learning materials are available at zero cost to the […]

European Year of Skills

Overview The European Year of Skills was necessitated after employers across the European Union reported difficulty finding workers with the necessary skills. The European Labour Authority in Report on labour […]

openRSD – Edalex

Overview Rich Skills Descriptors (RSDs) are a metadata package that provides a common definition of a skill including the context behind the skill. This allows interoperability in credentials. RSDs typically […]

Open Data Platform – U.S. Department of Education

Overview The U.S. Department of Education maintains an Open Data Platform (ODP) at data.gov.ed.  The department’s public data profiles are available in a machine-readable, open format and can be searched […]

Frontier Set

Overview Frontier Set was a national initiative (2015-2021) comprised of colleges, universities, state systems of higher education, and supporting organizations committed to (1) transforming how institutions operate by eliminating race, […]

Credentialing: Policy & Implementation – Colorado

Overview Colorado passed multiple bills in 2022 to support credentialing strategies and assist disadvantaged students. Stackable Credential Pathways (Senate Bill 22-192) calls for improving access to quality credentials of value […]

Digital Skills

Digital skills are the abilities to use technology including computer software and applications, digital devices (cell phones, tablets, computers), and other computer hardware. Digital literacy skills enable individuals to participate […]

Digital Skills Principles – Digital Divide

Overview On October 2, 2023, more than 70 corporate partners (including Fortune 500s, Chambers of Commerce, and small businesses), the National Skills Coalition, and Business Leaders United for Workforce Partnerships […]

Transcript Holds (Stranded Credits)

Transcript holds occur at many higher education institutions when a student incurs unpaid balances for unpaid tuition, room and board, parking tickets, and library fees. The unpaid balance, often referred […]

Stranded Credits (Transcript Holds)

Stranded credits refer to academic college credit that students have earned but cannot access because their former higher education institution is holding their transcript as collateral for an unpaid balance […]

Credit When It’s Due (CWID) – Reverse Transfer

Overview The Credit When It’s Due (CWID) initiative was a multi-foundation funded (6 foundations), multi-state (16 states) initiative aimed at increasing associate degree conferral for transfer students who meet associate […]

Good Jobs Hawai’i Initiative

Overview In January 2023, the University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges and leaders from the state’s top business sectors launched Good Jobs Hawaiʻi. The $35-million workforce development initiative is building career […]

SkillsFWD

Overview SkillsFWD is an initiative to catalyze a more equitable skills-based hiring ecosystem leveraging Learning and Employment Records (LERs).  The initiative is managed by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors with funding support […]

Higher Education & Employer Partnerships

Partnerships between higher education institutions and employers are increasingly useful in addressing talent development in key job categories. Partnership agreements are especially prevalent in areas such as data science, digital […]

Technology Tools & Systems

Technology tools and systems are hardware tools which include computers, mobile devices, servers, networks, printers, and other physical components that enable technologies; and operating systems which include software that manages […]

Career Connected High School Grant Program

Overview In August 2023, the U.S. Department of Education launched the Career Connected High School Grant program. The $25 million program is providing grants to consortia of local educational agencies […]

Open Educational Resources (OER)

OER are publically accessible teaching, learning, and research resources created and licensed to be free for end users to own, share, and in some cases modify.  Modify could include re-mixing, […]

Mapping Upward Project – OCTAE

Overview The Mapping Upward Project was a two-year project (2015-2017) of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE). The project’s aim was to recognize […]

The Workforce Futures Initiative

Overview The Workforce Futures Initiative is a research collaboration between the American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institution, and the Project on Workforce at Harvard Kennedy School’s Malcolm Wiener Center for […]

Digital Equity

The concept that every person should have equal access to digital technologies, including internet access. The concept aims to address the divide in access to digital infrastructure that gives some […]

Wraparound Learner (Student) Support Services

A term used to describe a package of services found in the research literature to support learner success. Tutoring, counseling, childcare, transportation and other non-instructional services can help learners at […]

Learner and Student Supports

A comprehensive range of services and resources provided by credential providers to enhance the academic, personal, and career development of learners. Learner supports aim to remove barriers to success on […]

Compensation

Refers to all sources of employee earnings, including hourly wages, salaries, overtime, bonuses, commissions, and benefits. Benefits refer to options with monetary value including health insurance, dental insurance, disability insurance, […]

Workforce Equity

Workforce equity means the elimination of racial gaps in employment and income such that the workforce – both public and private – is racially representative of the general population, at […]

Skills Compass Platform – CAEL

Overview The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) is a national, nonprofit membership organization working to improve education-to-career pathways for adult learners. CAEL’s services to organizations include providing expertise, […]

Inventory of Community College Baccalaureate Degree Programs

Overview Currently, 25 states allow their community colleges by legislative action to offer some baccalaureate degrees: California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, […]

Credential Management System (CMS)

Credential Management System (CMS) is a broad term that refers to the software used for issuing and managing credentials. Governments and other enterprises employ CMS software to issue and manage […]

International Classification for Standards (ICS)

An international classification system developed and maintained by the International Organization for Standardization.  ICS are used to catalog and classify standards,  often for use in databases and libraries.  ICS currently includes […]

SmartResume – iDatafy LLC

Overview SmartResume is a new type of resume that recognizes the three-sided marketplace (ecosystem) connecting job seekers, higher education institutions, and employers using the power of digital credentials. Partners such […]

Learning Outcomes

Descriptions of what students will learn in a course, program, or training, and how that learning will be assessed. Creating clear and measurable learning outcomes are necessary for assessment and […]

Trust in Credentialing

Refers to the confidence and reliability attributed to a credential by various stakeholders, including employers, educational institutions, professional organizations, and individuals themselves. It involves the belief that the credential accurately […]

Return on Investment (ROI) in Higher Education

Often refers to evaluating what students will earn professionally based on their investment in an undergraduate or graduate degree, to determine if there is a positive return on their investment. […]

Ethical Standards/Integrity in Credentialing

Ethics and integrity are crucial to the learn-and-work ecosystem, particularly to credentialing.  Credentials such as diplomas, degrees, certifications, certificates of accomplishment, licenses, and badges represent an individual’s qualifications and expertise […]

State Funding Models & Short-Term Credentials

Funding models refer to the ways in which higher education institutions acquire revenue to operate. As described by Ithaka S+R, there are significant differences between funding models for public two- and […]

Skills Framework

A structure that allows organizations to develop strategy on how to acquire necessary skills. It provides key sector information, occupations/job roles, and the required existing and emerging skills. The Frameworks […]

Skills-based Incremental Credentialing

Incremental credentials, frequently known as microcredentials, are an evolving concept in postsecondary education and training. Less comprehensive than a degree, they represent the attainment of a specific competency or set […]

Learner

An inclusive term that encompasses many types of learners; for example, those taking part in the educational process whether a degree program or microcredential. Learners acquire new competencies and skills […]

Short-Term-Credential Typology (HCM Strategists)

Overview HCM Strategists (HCM), with support from Lumina Foundation, conducted a comprehensive examination of short-term credential pathways across the U.S. HCM analyzed all 50 states to create a catalog of […]

Catalyze Registry

Overview On November 2, 2022, President Biden announced commitments made by more than 350 organizations in 50 states and territories as part of the Infrastructure Talent Pipeline Challenge (nationwide call […]

Skills Library

A centralized and structured compiling of skills data, qualifications, and attributes that helps to create a unified understanding of skills for an organization in areas of employment need, curriculum development, […]

Skills Taxonomy (Open Skills) – Lightcast

Overview The Lightcast Skills Taxonomy is an open-source library of 32,000+ skills gathered from hundreds of millions of online job postings, profiles, and resumes—updated every two weeks. The Taxonomy collects […]

Articulation / Transfer

Transferring occurs from one educational institution to another. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, over a million students have transferred among colleges since 2015. Students can transfer from […]

Credit Pathways, Noncredit-to-Credit Articulation

Credit pathways are ways for learners to earn reputable or transferable credits for proven skills or work completed. Credit pathways include but are not limited to: credit/course articulation, credit for […]

NewPathways Campaign (K-12) – Getting Smart

Overview The NewPathways campaign, led by Getting Smart, is a roadmap for American schools, where every learner, regardless of zip code, is on a pathway to productive citizenship, high wage […]

Accelerate ED

Overview Accelerate ED focuses on building stronger, smoother, and accelerated pathways between K-12 education, postsecondary education, and careers. The initiative is coordinated by the Education Strategy Group (ESG) and supported […]

Skills Mapping

Graphic depiction of the abilities that an individual employee possesses. The mapping  process assesses the employee’s proficiency with a specific skill, particularly those associated with certain projects, positions and duties. […]

Comprehensive Learner Records (CLRs)

Seek to capture, record, and communicate learning when and where it happens in a student’s higher education experience. This includes learning from courses, programs, and degrees, as well as experience […]

Navajo Nation Talent Marketplace

Overview In April 2023, the Navajo Nation launched the Talent Marketplace initiative. It is a first-time central repository of in-person and remote jobs available on the reservation. The marketplace is […]

2nd Chances@Work Initiative – Orijin

Overview The 2nd Chances@Work Initiative focuses on connecting justice-impacted individuals with living wage employment and building a more inclusive workforce. The initiative partners with workforce development boards to create, sustain, […]

Pay for Skills Programs

Some private and public sector employers are adopting internal Pay for Skills programs. A key element of these programs is to incentivize skill development among employees through internal training. Such […]

Non-degree Credentials

Non-degree credentials include certificates, industry certifications, apprenticeships, educational certificates, occupational licenses, and digital badges.

Noncredit Education

Non-credit education includes any course or program that did not go through the process to be for-credit at a community college or university. They typically include personal enrichment classes, customized […]

Opportunity Populations

Opportunity populations refer to people in America who have had limited access to educational and professional opportunities and who face barriers to employment and career advancement. They may include: opportunity […]

Policy

Policy encompasses laws, regulations, procedures, administrative rules and actions, incentives, and voluntary practices of governments and other institutions. Many entities issue policies germane to the learn-and-work ecosystem: governments—federal, state, regional/local; […]

Quality Assurance

In traditional higher education institutions, quality has been viewed broadly, involving all institutional functions and activities to include teaching and academic programs, research and scholarship, staffing, students, building, facilities, equipment, […]

Skills and Competencies

Skills define specific learned activities, and they range widely in terms of complexity. Knowing which skills a person possesses helps to determine whether their training and experience has prepared them […]

Skills Ecosystem

The skills ecosystem is a term popularized with the advent of skills-based hiring. Skills-based hiring is hiring for skills required for a particular job role. Employers are trying to match […]

Work-based Learning

Work-based learning refers to education and training carried out by students or employees while working. This approach contrasts with traditional methods of learning, which tend to take place in a […]

Workforce Development

Workforce development refers to the broad range of initiatives offered by government offices and agencies to help create, sustain, and retain a viable workforce. The objective of workforce development is […]

Credential As You Go

An initiative working toward a nationally recognized transferrable incremental credentialing system that increases the number of high-quality, post-high school credentials that lead to further education and employment. The system captures […]

Credit for Prior Learning

Prior learning assessment (aka recognition of prior learning) is a term used for various methods of valuing college-level learning that has taken place outside of formal educational institutions, that can […]

Eligible Training Provider Lists (ETPLs)

Eligible training provider lists (ETPLs) are lists of pre-approved programs established by each state and territory under United States workforce development law, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). WIOA […]

Incremental credential

Incremental credentials capture learning as it is acquired along the learning pathway and formally recognizes and connects that learning to a larger context. Incremental credentials can be non-credit or credit-bearing; […]

Incremental credentialing

Incremental credentialing is the overall design and process used to develop and connect credentials to further learning and employment.

Incremental Credentialing Framework

The Incremental Credential Framework was developed through a 2019-2021 planning, research, and testing project in a Lumina Foundation grant to SUNY Empire State College (Credential As You Go, Phase I). […]

Intermediaries

Intermediary organizations are often viewed as a distinct class of third-party entities. They tend to support the provision of services by another organization rather than providing direct services. They tend […]

Learning Frameworks

Learning frameworks are tools that specify learning outcomes and/or competencies that define, classify, and recognize educational, learner, and industry expectations of knowledge, skills, and abilities at increasing levels of complexity […]

Micro-pathway

A micro-pathway is two or more stackable credentials that can be packaged as a validated market signal connecting learners to employment in high-growth careers.

Microcredentials (Micro-Credentials)

Microcredentials are a record of focused learning achievement verifying what the learner knows, understands, or can do. They include an assessment based on clearly defined standards and are awarded by […]

Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is an all-in-one human resource(HR) software that automates the hiring process. It helps HR teams manage every part of recruitment (from job posting to onboarding): (1) […]

Alternative Credentials

Alternative credentials are competencies, skills, and learning outcomes derived from assessment-based, non-degree activities that align to specific, timely needs in the workforce. Different types of alternative credentials include but are […]

Course Articulation

Course articulation is the process of comparing the content of courses that are transferred between postsecondary institutions; i.e., . In course articulation, one institution matches its courses or requirements to […]

Auto-award

With the advent of degree audit software, the software can be used to audit coursework students have completed and automatically award degrees and certificates if they have completed the required […]

Blockchain

Blockchain is a shared, distributed ledger technology in which records are stored together as blocks of information connected to other similar blocks of information. Blockchain use in educational records rests […]

Career Navigation

Career navigation services help individuals of all ages understand how their personal interests, abilities, and values can help shape their educational and career goals and contribute to their success. A […]

Certification/ Industry Certification

Awarded by certification bodies—typically nonprofit organizations, professional associations, industry and trade organizations, or businesses—based on an individual demonstrating, through an examination process, that she/he has acquired the knowledge, skills, and […]

Credential

A credential is a documented award by a responsible and authorized body that attests that an individual has achieved specific learning outcomes or attained a defined level of knowledge or […]

Stackability Guide

Overview In February 2023, Education Strategy Group issued the Stackability Guide. The Guide is designed to help higher education leaders examine their internal processes related to stackability and provide guidance […]

LifeJourney – AI-Powered Skills & Competency Toolkit

Overview On February 22, 2023, Territorium launched LifeJourney, an AI-powered toolkit designed to facilitate the intersections and transitions between K-12, higher education, and workforce readiness. The secure and interoperable toolkit: […]

National Pathways Initiative

Overview The National Pathways Initiative is a national coalition of leaders from education, business, government and the Civil Rights Community with a goal to champion high-quality pathways to help students […]

Multiple Pathways Initiative – Business Roundtable

Overview The Multiple Pathways Initiative (MPI) launched in December 2020 by the Business Roundtable to provide resources to help employers reform hiring and advancement practices to emphasize the value of […]

Mapping Learning & Employment Records (LERs)

Overview The Digital Credentials Consortium (DCC), hosted at MIT Open Learning, is partnering with NationSwell (a B Corp dedicated to providing essential support to impact-driven leaders and organizations through a […]

Open Syllabus

Overview Open Syllabus is a non-profit research organization that collects and analyzes millions of syllabi (any detailed account of an academic class or class section) to support novel teaching and […]

Stronger Nation Report – Lumina Foundation

Overview In 2008, Lumina issued a national call for 60 percent of adults to have college degrees or other high-quality credentials beyond high school by 2025 to meet labor-market demand […]

ResearchDataGov (RDG) – ICPSR

Overview Launched in 2022, ResearchDataGov (RDG) is an online portal for discovering and requesting access to restricted microdata from federal statistical agencies. RDG advances the evidence-building capabilities of the federal government, […]

The LER Ecosystem Report & Ecosystem Map

Overview The Smart Report Ecosystem Map was created by iDatafy in 2022 – launched in January 2023 and updated in 2024. iDatafy originally worked with a team of digital credentialing […]

Career Optimism Index- University of Phoenix

Overview In March 2022, the University of Phoenix launched the University of Phoenix Career Institute, a research center within its College of Doctoral Studies. The institute conducts research, shares insights to […]

Adult Learning & Literacy Network (ALL IN)

Overview The Adult Literacy and Learning Impact Network (ALL IN) is a collective impact initiative that was formed in 2022 to address America’s adult literacy and learning issues: About 43 […]

2U, Inc. / edX Bootcamp Partnership

July 2024 Update On July 25, 2024, 2U Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with plans to restructure, reduce its debt load and wrap up the process by September 2024. […]

XCredit Skills Validation – Education Design Lab

Overview Launched in summer 2021, XCredit Skills Validation is an initiative of the Education Design Lab. The Lab developed the concept of an employer-validated “XCredit”, or Experience Credit, which signals to […]

OneTen

Overview The OneTen Network aims to close the opportunity gap for Black talent in America. The Network is composed of a coalition of leaders  working together to cultivate economic opportunities […]

Apprenticeships for America Initiative

Overview Apprenticeships for America (AFA), a new nonprofit established in March 2022, launched an initiative to help the United States bring registered apprenticeships to the scale experienced by other advanced […]

Raise the Bar: Unlocking Career Success – ED

Overview In November 2022, the U.S. Department of Education launched the Raise the Bar: Unlocking Career Success, a Biden-Harris Administration initiative to increase and expand access to high-quality training programs to […]

Organizations (521)

Initiatives (668)

Topic Briefs (159)