Virginia is teaming up with Ohio to design a blueprint for three-year bachelor’s degrees that would require 90 credits for graduation. The partnership comes as more states and institutions mull shorter pathways to college. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia announced Thursday that it plans to work together with several private and public colleges in the state, Ohio higher education representatives, and a handful of nonprofit groups on an initiative named “Scaling College in 3” led by the organization Jobs for the Future. Institutions involved aim to map out two three-year programs to propose by spring 2028, according to SCHEV.
Friday, July 10, 2026
Thursday, July 9, 2026
The Apprenticeship Wish List - Johanna Alonso, Inside Higher Ed
Apprenticeships are growing. But experts say that without more funding, updated laws and better data, the U.S. is still far from the system they know is possible. The No. 1 thing missing, they say, is money. The most recent House Appropriations Committee bill to fund labor, health and human services, and education proposes $290 million for apprenticeships, up $5 million from 2026. That’s on top of the $145 million to support a pay-for-performance incentive program announced earlier this year. But apprenticeship researchers and advocates say that scaling participation to that one million number is a distant dream without long-term investments in apprenticeship infrastructure and pay for instruction, staff, wages and employer incentives, where applicable.
Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Cogent Skills research exposes specialist skills gaps holding back UK medicines manufacturing SMEs - Manufacturing Chemist
The most acute capability gaps were identified in the commercial (24%), research and development (20%) and new technology (15%) business areas, while specific skills pressures for SMEs highlighted by the research included the following:
gaps in specialist roles, including quality assurance/quality control, regulatory and process engineering roles
graduate and early-career professional readiness for good manufacturing practice (GMP) environments
the shift towards automation and data-enabled manufacturing, which requires broader digital literacy across scientific and technical roles
a growing need for cross-functional capabilities, e.g., multi-skilling and whole-business awareness.
https://manufacturingchemist.com/cogent-skills-research-exposes-specialist-skills-gaps-holding
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
NC researchers discuss the potential of micro-credentialing for educators - Chantal Brown, EDNC
The Office of Rural Promise at Appalachian State University hosted a summit about micro-credentials for educators and other stakeholders at the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro on June 16. The summit was a culminating event for the Empowering Teacher Learning (ETL) project. As explained in the project’s white paper, micro-credentials “are digital certifications for specific skills that allow learners to prove competency through evidence rather than course completion.”
Monday, July 6, 2026
Amazon is joining RAISE US as a founding member to help workers prepare for the jobs of tomorrow. - Amazon
Amazon is partnering with RAISE US to help American workers develop skills for AI-era jobs. RAISE US brings together companies, policymakers, and educators to address the workforce impacts of AI. The coalition will further extend Amazon's reach to support communities and workers with the skills they need. Today Amazon is announcing that we’ve joined RAISE US as a founding member to develop the workforce of the future for our employees and communities. RAISE US is a new bipartisan coalition that brings together companies, policymakers, and leaders to accelerate the transition to the jobs of the future. AI is transforming how we live and work at a pace few of us could have predicted. At Amazon, we see this every day—in the AI-powered tools that help our customers, the systems that optimize our logistics network, and the generative AI services we offer through AWS.
https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/policy-new-views/amazon-joins-raise-us-ai-workforce
Friday, July 3, 2026
Science Teacher Professional Development Guide - Michael Healey, Discovery Education
Science teacher professional development is most effective when it is practical and connected to what teachers are doing in the classroom. Effective professional development for science teachers helps them strengthen instruction, support inquiry, use technology purposefully, and make science more meaningful for students. Supporting science teachers also supports student curiosity, problem-solving, engagement, and confidence.
Thursday, July 2, 2026
Babson Launches Teaching Certificate for Educators as Higher Education Evolves
As colleges and universities increasingly rely on industry practitioners and other nontraditional instructors, demand is growing for accessible, practical training that helps educators succeed in the classroom. To help meet that need, Babson College is launching a new Higher Education Teaching Certificate through Babson Academy and the College’s digital learning platform, Babson On-Demand™, designed to help educators teach with greater intention, confidence, and impact. According to the American Association of University Professors, 68% of U.S. faculty members now serve in part-time or non-tenure-track roles, underscoring the growing need for practical teaching preparation for adjunct faculty, industry practitioners, and other educators entering the classroom.
https://entrepreneurship.babson.edu/babson-teaching-certificate/
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
California gave every student in prison a laptop. How community colleges are using them - Ella Carter-Klauschie, Cal Matters
California prisons have given 30,000 laptops to incarcerated students. Inmates say using technology prepares them to enter the workforce. As community colleges start replacing correspondence courses by mail with online-only classes, students and professors debate whether this type of learning is any more effective. In the past three years, the prison system spent $23.2 million to distribute 30,000 laptops to all incarcerated students. Almost half of those went to the 13,000 inmates enrolled in community college, who are increasingly doing their coursework online. The growth of online learning marks a shift away from correspondence courses, where inmates receive assignments in physical packets, fill them out, and mail them back to colleges, with limited feedback. While some community colleges still offer those types of courses, the laptops are starting to replace the packets.
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Can microcredentials drive new demand for higher ed? - Alcino Donadel, University Business
Higher education leaders, employers and students agree that microcredentials are critical for strengthening enrollment, improving workforce readiness and modernizing curriculum amid rapid AI-driven change. A new Coursera survey of more than 3,500 respondents worldwide found broad support for embedding industry-recognized credentials into degree pathways as institutions face mounting pressure to improve career outcomes and adapt curricula more quickly. In many cases, U.S. respondents expressed greater confidence in microcredentials than their global peers in India, the United Kingdom and other countries.
Monday, June 29, 2026
Free and Affordable Platforms for Issuing Online Badges to Students in 2026 - Marc Berman, Programming Insider
Digital credentials, micro-credentials, and digital badges have become the standard way universities, training providers, and event organizers verify and share what students have learned. The platforms that issue them vary widely in price, features, and flexibility, and Credly, while well known, charges a minimum of around $2,500 for 500 badges with no published pricing and no free tier, putting it out of reach for most smaller institutions and programs. In this guide, we reviewed the best free and affordable platforms for issuing digital badges and micro-credentials to students in 2026, with Certifier ranked first. Whether you run a university program, a professional training course, or an online certification, this list covers the options that deliver real value without locking you into annual contracts or opaque pricing.
Friday, June 26, 2026
Work-based Learning: Who Gets Paid? - Nichole Torpey-Saboe & Akua Amankwah-Ayeh, Strada
Work-based learning is linked to better early career outcomes, including higher earnings and greater likelihood of securing college-level employment. As part of the 2025 State Opportunity Index, states were benchmarked using student-reported participation in at least one of five types of paid work-based learning at public two- and four-year institutions: internships, apprenticeships, co-ops, practica, and undergraduate research experiences. The findings, based on surveys of more than 56,000 students at public four- and two-year institutions, showed that despite growing recognition of the value of work-based learning, access remains uneven. Nationally, only 43 percent of students at public four-year institutions report at least one of these experiences. At public two-year institutions, participation rates are even lower.
Thursday, June 25, 2026
Nazareth's psychology department to offer grad students stipends for school psychologist internships - Racquel Stephen, WXXI News
The Department of Psychology at Nazareth University is offering a $25,000 stipend to those who enroll in their school psychology graduate program so they can explore internship opportunities. The allowance is part of the U.S. Department of Education's School-Based Mental Health grant program, which has the goal of expanding access to school-based mental health services in suburban and rural areas. “It allows the program to be more financially viable,” said Thomas Lappas, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, Business, and Education at Nazareth. “It allows people who may need to move or relocate as they do these internships to have that opportunity.”
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
10 ways micro-credentials are changing how companies hire - Jenny Milam, MSN
For decades, the path to a good job was fairly straightforward: earn a degree, build a resume, and start applying. But hiring is changing. Employers increasingly care less about where candidates went to school and more about whether they can actually do the job. Enter micro-credentials. These short, focused certifications validate specific skills and can often be completed in weeks rather than years. From technology and healthcare to marketing and project management, micro-credentials are helping job seekers prove their abilities while giving employers a faster, more practical way to identify talent. Here are 10 ways micro-credentials are transforming hiring practices.
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Generative AI credentials gain value in Saudi job market, report finds - Hebshi Alshammari, Arab News
A new Coursera report suggests that skills-based hiring is becoming increasingly common in Saudi Arabia, particularly as employers place greater value on generative artificial intelligence competencies. According to Coursera’s Micro-Credentials Impact Report 2026, 99 percent of employers in Saudi Arabia use skills-based hiring in some form for entry-level positions, while 86 percent apply the approach extensively. The report also found that 79 percent of Saudi employers would prefer a candidate with verified generative AI skills over a more experienced candidate without those credentials.
Monday, June 22, 2026
Can microcredentials drive new demand for higher ed? - Alcino Donadel, University Business
Higher education leaders, employers and students agree that microcredentials are critical for strengthening enrollment, improving workforce readiness and modernizing curriculum amid rapid AI-driven change. A new Coursera survey of more than 3,500 respondents worldwide found broad support for embedding industry-recognized credentials into degree pathways as institutions face mounting pressure to improve career outcomes and adapt curricula more quickly. In many cases, U.S. respondents expressed greater confidence in microcredentials than their global peers in India, the United Kingdom and other countries.
Friday, June 19, 2026
Highlands College launches broadband micro-credentials to meet Montana workforce demand, TDS Telecom to offer scholarships - Amanda Badovinac, Montana Tech
Highlands College of Montana Tech is preparing to launch three new broadband-focused micro-credential programs designed to quickly train workers for high-demand careers supporting infrastructure and connectivity across Montana. The short-term credentials, each between 16 and 19 credits, will include certificates in heavy equipment operation, fiber splicing, and warehousing. The programs are designed to provide hands-on training that prepares students for immediate employment in growing industries. “Highlands College is excited to offer these credentials to train the workforce who will bring internet to every Montanan even in the most rural of places,” Highlands College Dean Tammy Burke said. “We are looking forward to training students this fall and feel these micro-credentials will provide work-ready skills for these students.”
Thursday, June 18, 2026
Coursera (COUR) Valuation Check As Employer Demand For Micro Credentials Strengthens - Simply Wall St
Coursera (COUR) released a new report indicating that 92% of US employers are willing to offer higher starting salaries to graduates with industry micro-credentials, putting the stock’s online upskilling focus back in the spotlight. The latest employer survey lands against a tougher backdrop for shareholders, with Coursera’s share price down 22.74% year to date and the 1 year total shareholder return down 38.75%, suggesting weak recent momentum despite interest in online upskilling. If this shift toward micro credentials has you thinking more broadly about where digital learning and automation could go next, it may be worth scanning 63 profitable AI stocks that aren't just burning cash as potential comparison points.
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Micro-credentials deemed as ‘wave of the future’ for learning - Rizal Raoul Reyes, Business Mirror
MICRO-CREDENTIALS can create a positive impact in the Philippine academic and labor sectors. In a recent press briefing, leading global online learning platform Coursera revealed a sneak peek of its report on the impact of micro-credentials in the Philippine academic and labor sectors. It emphasized these industry-aligned, flexible, short programs as the “wave of the future” and highly valued by employers, especially when stacked on top of full degrees. Known for making professional certificates and full degrees from top universities more accessible online, Coursera highlighted in its 2026 Micro-Credentials Impact Report that 85 percent of Filipino graduates who earned a micro-credential secured a role aligned with their field within 12 months.
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Micro-Credentials Offer College Grads A Leg Up In A Tight Job Market - Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes
College graduates who earn a micro-credential are likely to fare better in an increasingly challenging job market than those without one. That’s one of the main takeaways from Coursera’s just released Micro-Credentials Impact Report 2026. The findings in the report point to the role that micro-credentials can play in helping students build career-relevant skills, enabling employers confidently hire new workers, and allowing universities align their curriculum more closely and quickly to emerging demands for the workforce.
Monday, June 15, 2026
Lake Erie College launches online certificate in conflict resolution - Mollie Walsh, Cleveland.com
Lake Erie College has launched a new graduate certificate program focused on conflict management, negotiation and organizational dynamics, the college announced. The fully online program, housed within the School of Business, is designed for working professionals seeking training in conflict resolution, communication and leadership in organizational settings. According to the college, the 12-credit certificate can be completed in one year through seven-week courses. The program consists of four graduate-level classes covering workplace conflict, strategic communication, negotiation and mediation practices. Assistant Professor Dr. Aibak Hafeez, who will lead the program, said the curriculum is intended to help professionals manage complex workplace situations and difficult conversations.
Friday, June 12, 2026
92% of US employers willing to offer higher starting salaries to graduates with micro-credentials - Business Wire
New Coursera report highlights growing ROI on industry micro-credentials for learners, employees, and employers
79% of US employers say micro-credential holders demonstrate improved productivity in their first year
85% of US graduates with micro-credentials report securing a role aligned to their field within 12 months
“Over the next decade, over 1.2 billion people are due to enter the global workforce, while 60% of the world’s existing workforce will also require reskilling,” said Marni Baker Stein, Chief Content Officer, Coursera. “This report provides clear evidence that job-relevant industry micro-credentials are helping to meet an unprecedented demand for skills, and providing tangible ROI for students, employers, and universities that offer them.”
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