Maryland's recent elimination of a four-year college degree as a job requirement for thousands of the state's jobs is shining a spotlight on the value of alternative credentials and experience. The aim of the state initiative—which the governor's office says is the first of its kind in the U.S.—is to ensure that "qualified, non-degree candidates are regularly being considered for these career-changing opportunities," Gov. Larry Hogan said in a news release. More than 38,000 people work for the state, according to Hogan's office, and the state's Department of Budget and Management (DBM) estimated more than half of those jobs can be performed by people whose experience, training and/or community college education can substitute for a four-year college degree.
Monday, May 2, 2022
Sunday, May 1, 2022
SHRM Report: Survey Finds a Rise of Alternative Credentials in Hiring
Increasingly, U.S. workers are turning to alternative credentials to enhance and demonstrate skills and work-readiness, according to new research from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), made possible by a grant from Walmart to the SHRM Foundation. SHRM's new reports, The Rise of Alternative Credentials in Hiring, released today along with Making Alternative Credentials Work: A New Strategy for HR Professionals, found that nearly half of U.S. workers (45%) say they have some form of an alternative credential. Among those who don't, about half (49%) have considered earning one.
Saturday, April 30, 2022
Employers Claim to Value Alternative Credentials. Do Their Practices Match Their Promises? - Rebecca Koenig, EdSurge
There’s plenty of interest among workforce experts about the potential of alternative credentials—like certificates, badges and apprenticeships—to help more people find better jobs without necessarily having to go to college. But in order for that to actually work, employers have to value those credentials. Many company leaders say that they do, as part of their efforts to reward skills, not just degrees. And some employers even issue their own credentials, like IBM and Google. Yet all that rhetoric hinges on the moment when a resume lands on the desk of a hiring manager.
Friday, April 29, 2022
Rutgers Business School offers stackable certificate programs - Linda Linder, ROI-NJ
Rutgers Business School is offering a twist on traditional learning: stackable programs and microcourses designed to upskill working professionals who are intent on keeping pace with the rapidly changing work world. The Newark and New Brunswick institution said it is planning innovative new programs to draw on the transformative idea of stackable credentials, with an eye to the forces shaping the future of higher education. The programs are designed to instruct students in nontraditional course formats, even if they don’t attain a full master’s degree to do it.
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Digital Credentials Will See an Explosion of Demand, Experts Say - IBL News
The number of digital credentials issued in 2021 saw a 67% growth, according to Accrediblle. Experts expect that this year will be an explosion of demand. The consensus is that the market for digital credentials platforms and products is on fire. The Biden Administration’s view is contributing to this increase. During his first State of the Union Address, President Biden supported skills-based hiring, stressing that “millions of Americans without a college degree are needlessly disadvantaged in the pursuit of good jobs, even when they have the skills and knowledge employers need.”
https://iblnews.org/digital-credentials-will-see-an-explosion-of-demand-experts-say/
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Micro-Credentials : Macro-Rewards - Digital Promise
Technology has transformed the workplace. How we learn and recognize learning must also transform. Individuals develop new skills while working and are seeking opportunities to be recognized for their professional growth. Research suggests that traditional frameworks and models for recognizing professional growth and providing professional advancement opportunities don’t meet the needs of today’s workers. Micro-credentials provide a pathway to personalizing and recognizing professional learning. They allow employers to verify the skills their employees demonstrate, regardless of where and how they learned them.
https://digitalpromise.org/initiative/educator-micro-credentials/
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Ten Facts You Need to Know About Micro-Credentials -Contact North | Contact Nord
Micro-credentials are increasingly seen as key to the future of work and learning(link is external) and to ensuring entry to the workforce becomes more accessible to more people.(link is external).
https://teachonline.ca/tools-trends/ten-facts-you-need-know-about-micro-credentials
Monday, April 25, 2022
Compare Micro Credential, Professional Certificate, and Advanced Certification - AOTA
American Occupational Therapy Association chart comparing Micro Credentials, Professional Certificates and Advanced Certifications. See link below.
Sunday, April 24, 2022
Micro-credentials: What they are and how they can help you secure a job - the Standard
A digital credential is a piece of data that carries information about a learning achievement someone has earned. This might include the training provider, a description of the learning, when the credential was issued and who received it, explains the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Learners can use these digital badges to easily share and verify their learning. For example, through social media, an e-portfolio or a CV.
Saturday, April 23, 2022
The Tech Labor Shortage Is Only Set to Grow. These Companies Think Apprenticeships Are the Answer - REBECCA DECZYNSKI, Inc.
Apprenticeships have a different structure than internships, and they can reach a different audience, too. For an apprentice's term--typically a year--they receive paid on-the-job training, usually working with a mentor who helps them through the ins and outs of their position. At the end of their term, they're brought on into a full-time, entry level position. "The company gets to hire folks that they already know, and the investment is less than the cost of going out and finding new people," Carlson says.
Friday, April 22, 2022
Canvas LMS Acquires the Micro-Credentials Issuer and Partner Badgr - IBL News
Instructure Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: INST), owner of Canvas LMS, announced yesterday the acquisition of partner Concentric Sky, the maker of Badgr, for an undisclosed amount. Currently, Badgr is the default micro-credentialing tool within Canvas LMS. Now, Badgr will be rebranded as “Canvas Badges.” “With Badgr, the Concentric Sky team has developed the gold standard for verifiable, skill-aligned micro-credentials, fast becoming the currency between learning outcomes and employment opportunities,” said Steve Daly, CEO of Instructure.
https://iblnews.org/canvas-lms-buys-the-micro-credentials-issuer-and-partner-badgr/
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Bond University promotes micro-credentials with tiny interactive doors - Shawn Lim, the Drum
Each has a unique QR code that people can scan for further information on the door locations, as well as a behind-the-scenes film with the artist who created them. “Bond University’s micro-credentials courses were designed in response to market needs and developed in collaboration with industry partners,” said Lisa Shaw, the manager of the micro-credential unit at Bond University. “Our flexible, skills-based learning enables professionals to upskill, advance their careers, change direction, or dive deeper into a specific area.”
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
New Mexico to launch adult diploma program - Roswell Daily Record
New Mexico adults have a new option for attaining a secondary school credential with the National External Diploma Program thanks to a partnership between the New Mexico Higher Education and Public Education Departments. Starting this year, New Mexico will recognize adult diplomas awarded under the National External Diploma Program as valid secondary credentials, according to a press release issued by NMHED.
https://www.rdrnews.com/2022/04/05/new-mexico-to-launch-adult-diploma-program/
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
What the surge in online MBA programs means for business schools - MEGHAN MALAS, Fortune
In November 2021, Stern became the first among the top 10 business schools in Fortune’s ranking to launch a hybrid MBA program. Students in Stern’s online/modular part-time option can complete the core MBA curriculum online, and then complete a portion of their elective courses in person in New York City, through modules, weeknight classes, or Saturday classes. “Adapting, aligning with a changing workplace, and meeting the changing needs of working professionals is a top priority for us,” Gallogly says. The program’s launch was particularly timely and relevant, given the rise of hybrid work and increased demand for the ability to customize the MBA experience with work and life, he adds.
Monday, April 18, 2022
Universities must go hybrid to stay relevant, says Coursera CEO - Tom Williams, Times Higher Ed
Students will soon expect to be able to get both a degree and a professional certificate from their university, according to the chief executive of one of the world’s largest edtech firms, who believes that the change will be the next major development in online learning. Jeff Maggioncalda, who has run Coursera since 2017, said job-specific training courses for students, developed alongside top businesses, is the biggest growth area for his platform.
Sunday, April 17, 2022
Forsyth Tech Receives Funding for Micro-credentials: Biomedical Emerging Technology Application Skill Standards - Devin Purgason, Yes Weekly
Forsyth Tech Community College has received more than $100,000 in funding from the National Science Foundation Advanced Technical Education (NSF/ATE) to support micro-credentials. Micro-credentials, often described and issued as digital badges, are a recent development for workforce training and skills building. According to Forbes Magazine, however, they are important to effectively recruit, retain and upskill workers. Forsyth Tech’s National Center for the Biotechnology Workforce (NCBW), based at the Innovation Quarter, will use the funds to implement a 2023 in-person workshop for instructors, to introduce and pilot new BETA Skills micro-credentials in collaboration with the Bioscience Core Skills Institute of Kansas (BCSI, www.coreskillsinstitute.com).
Saturday, April 16, 2022
George Washington, Pittsburgh, and Seton Hall expand certificate and program offerings - Trevor Mason, PreLaw
George Washington University Law School is working with the Animal Legal Defense Fund to create the Animal Legal Education initiative. The goal is to develop animal law as a stand-alone discipline that is fully integrated into legal education. The University of Pittsburgh School of Law is adding two new certificates to its online certificate programs. The new programs are a Sport, Entertainment, and Arts Law Certificate and a Corporate Compliance Certificate. Seton Hall Law School is introducing the Gaming, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Sports Law Program (“GHamES”). The program is a response to the constant shifts in each of these industries as well as the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on travel and recreation.
Friday, April 15, 2022
Micro-credential programs surge at UB - CHARLES ANZALONE, University of Buffalo
In 2018, UB unveiled 10 micro-credential programs. Since then, interest in these nimble and innovative educational programs, which provide in-demand workforce skills and a more personalized higher education experience, has exploded. There are now 78 micro-credential programs, including everything from data science and clinical pharmacy research to quality engineering and social justice. More than 3,330 students enrolled in UB micro-credentials last fall semester.
https://www.buffalo.edu/ubnow/stories/2022/04/micro-credentials.html
Thursday, April 14, 2022
Opportunities and threats of alternative credentials - EAB
Stackable certificates, microcredentials, and MOOCs 2.0—among a plethora of alternative offerings—are evolving quickly, engaging a growing share of post-baccalaureate learners. Continuing education leaders are concerned that traditional approaches to alternative degrees are being disrupted, potentially replaced altogether. But college and university leaders are also looking to the market for revenue growth and diversification. In fact, a recent survey of adult and grad leaders showed over 70% believe alternative credentials will help them meet their revenue goals. To maximize the market opportunity and minimize the disruption presented by alternative credentials, institutions will need to rethink both their investments in and approaches to post-baccalaureate programs.
Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Frostburg State University’s new academic programs serve workforce needs - Cumberland Times-News
In an effort to provide real-world, high-quality training to working adults, FSU has launched the Working Professional Certificates program in Manufacturing Leadership, Retail Management, Small Business Management and Nonprofit Management. The Working Professional Certificates program, designed for students with an associate degree or equivalent, is designed to take one year of part-time study, earning 12 to 18 credits. Coursework will be entirely online, with accessible scheduling for working adults. Students may also apply the credits toward a bachelor’s degree.