Fast-Tracking Learning - Dennis Pierce, CC Daily

When Pima Community College in Arizona rolled out its first “Fast Track” programs in October 2021, allowing students to earn a stackable micro-credential that would lead to a high-paying job in as little as 12 weeks, Vice Chancellor of Workforce Development and Innovation Ian Roark wasn’t surprised that the programs generated a lot of interest from the community. However, he wasn’t prepared for just how popular they would be. “Within the first month, we had more than 1,000 people indicate interest,” Roark says. The college didn’t have the capacity to serve nearly that many students right away.

https://www.ccdaily.com/2023/01/fast-tracking-learning/

How industry can help fix its skill shortage problems for now and the future - Stuart Martin, FE News

With so many factors affecting industry simultaneously, something needs to change with both their recruitment and upskilling training. Industry needs ‘X’, the people out there looking for jobs have ‘Y’. This ‘Y’ may be that that they have some of the skills needed, or that they are coming from an industry which is transitioning to something different but with some transferrable skills. It is said that 99% of skills can be learned, it’s the person that matters. How can this be rectified to get X and Y together? My solution is micro-credentials.

https://www.fenews.co.uk/exclusive/how-industry-can-help-fix-its-skill-shortage-problems-for-now-and-the-future/

Sonora Quest Laboratories announces a collaboration pathway for employees - Your Valley Independent

Sonora Quest Laboratories, today announced a collaboration with Wiley to provide its 3,800 employees with access to career-connected online education programs. Sonora Quest’s education and tuition benefits will be administered through Wiley Beyond, the Wiley solution that aligns talent strategy with business strategy. The collaboration empowers the Arizona-based company’s employees to acquire new skills, pursue degrees and certifications, and advance their careers while helping the company close workforce skills gaps.

https://www.yourvalley.net/stories/sonora-quest-laboratories-announces-a-collaboration-pathway-for-employees,357563

Credential confusion? - Laura Ascione, eCampus News

More than half of available credential programs generally sit outside of traditional institutions of higher educations, according to a new analysis that reveals a maze of non-degree credentials, such as digital badges, certificates, certifications, and apprenticeships. The research comes from national nonprofit Credential Engine, which has released its fourth count of secondary and postsecondary credentials in the United States. This year’s Count of U.S. Postsecondary and Secondary Credentials report identified 1,076,358 credentials, from specialized certificates to bachelors degrees to PhDs. The report demonstrates the nation’s need to dramatically improve transparency in the credential marketplace to promote economic growth and individual mobility.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2023/01/09/credential-confusion/

College leaders look to flexible learning, microcredentials to boost enrollments - Laura Ascione, eCampus News

\As college increasingly becomes financially out of reach for many students and enrollments wane, concerned administrators are implementing new programs, flexible learning formats and marketing to new demographics to help ease the decline, according to new research from Cengage, Bay View Analytics and industry partners. The Fall 2022 installment of the Digital Learning Pulse Survey found that more than 80 percent of administrators, faculty and students think inflation will pose a problem for students and 88 percent of administrators are concerned about future enrollments.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2023/01/10/college-leaders-look-to-flexible-learning-microcredentials-to-boost-enrollments/

Green Jobs Are Booming, Including in the “Sustainable” Fashion Sector January 11, 2023 - Christopher Boone and Karen C. Seto, TFL

Sustainable fashion, for example, is one of the fastest-growing green jobs sectors, averaging a 90 percent growth rate annually between 2016 and 2020. At the same time, the rapid expansion of ESG investing – environment, social and governance – and portfolio management is opening up new jobs in sustainable finance. In 2021, the accounting firm PwC announced that it would invest $12 billion and create 100,000 new jobs in ESG investing by 2026. 

https://www.thefashionlaw.com/green-jobs-are-booming-including-in-the-sustainable-fashion-space/

Alternative credentials market size for higher education to grow by USD 2,275.05 million from 2022 to 2027 - Technavio

Technavio categorizes the global alternative credentials market for higher education as a part of the global education services market, which covers products, services, and solutions that are offered to educational institutions, corporate institutions, students, parents, individuals, and teachers. The size of the global alternative credentials market for higher education is estimated to increase by USD 2,275.05 million between 2022 and 2027. The market's growth momentum will progress at a CAGR of 17.8%.

https://www.yahoo.com/now/alternative-credentials-market-size-higher-003000302.html

Navigating the end of jobs: Skills replace jobs as the focal point for matching workers with work- Sue Cantrell and Karen Weisz, Deloitte

Since the dawn of the industrial age, the job has been the defining structure for organizing and managing every aspect of work. That approach made sense when business changes occurred slowly, and workers were just pieces in the industrial machine. The solution? A skills-based approach to managing work and workers, delivering business agility and worker autonomy by enabling work to be performed beyond formal job boundaries.

https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/human-capital-trends.html#navigating-the-end

Employers may finally stop caring about where you went to school, says HR expert: ‘We have been using education as a proxy’ - Natasha Piñon, CNBC

In a report this week, Gartner predicted that the most successful companies this year will be the ones “more comfortable assessing candidates solely on their ability to perform in the role, rather than their credentials and prior experience.”  That translates to a de-emphasis on four-year degrees, McRae says: One of the most useful ways to attract “nontraditional candidates” is removing education requirements. “We have been using education as a proxy, and it’s very important to figure out why,” McRae says. “What was it a proxy for? And how do we actually measure that?”  The trend has been slowly gaining traction for a few years now. Forty-six percent of middle-skill and 31% of high-skill occupations decreased degree requirements in job listings between 2017 and 2019, according to a 2022 study from the Harvard Business Review and labor market data company Lightcast (formerly Emsi Burning Glass).

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/05/gartner-expert-college-degrees-matter-less-in-2023-job-applications.html

Reimagining the broadband technology workforce - Nicol Turner Lee and Brady Tavernier, Brookings

We recommend 

1. develop better taxonomies of broadband occupations and competency-based learning progressions to better measure, train, and narrow the scope of these occupations.
2. People without college or advanced degrees should be the intended targets of IIJA-related job opportunities
3. Standardized high-quality credentialing and “soft skills” training programs, like those adopted by some private and civic sector employers, should be readily available
4. There must be intentional efforts to diversify unionized roles within broadband

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2022/12/22/reimagining-the-technology-workforce-in-broadband-infrastructure/

Micro credentials could stave off software engineer layoffs - Stephanie Glen, TechTarget

Software developers can take measures to protect their jobs with micro credentials tailored to their company’s needs within hot trends such as cloud computing and AI. Developers can take steps to shield themselves from layoffs by earning micro credentials that target the latest trends in application development, according to industry experts. The job market for developers has swung from red hot to cool in the last few months, with many tech companies implementing hiring freezes. One way developers can ride out the recession is to stay up to date with the latest programming languages and tools. A relatively quick way to do so is to earn a micro credential, a certification that focuses on a specific competency or skill, such as Agile development, UX design or cloud computing, as opposed to a full degree program.

https://www.techtarget.com/searchsoftwarequality/news/252528923/Microcredentials-could-stave-off-software-engineer-layoffs

12 Ways To Develop And Sharpen Professional Skills Outside Of Work - Forbes

Some companies provide formal training opportunities or other educational benefits; others don’t, but that doesn’t mean their employees can’t pursue professional development opportunities on their own time. As technology continues to evolve, there are more options available than ever before for those who are looking to sharpen their skills outside of the workplace. From online courses and resources to networking opportunities through social media and beyond, there are countless places professionals can turn to strengthen their skill sets.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2023/01/04/12-ways-to-develop-and-sharpen-professional-skills-outside-of-work/?sh=1600f847ac5b

These are the top 5 skills you need to get hired in 2023 - Nicky Garcea, Fast Company

Instead, hiring managers are keen on identifying skills that build out other skills. Research from my company, Cappfinity, shows that by having these five behavioral skills as a foundation, individuals can acquire new skills and talents and continue to utilize them throughout their careers. The best way to understand yourself from a skills perspective is to consider the things you’re good at, but also the things that give you energy. Those two components will truly allow you to develop that skill into a strength. Here are the five skills we have identified that hiring managers are the most impressed by in today’s competitive work environment, and how you can recognize them in yourself.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90821264/top-skills-hired-2023

Closing the skills gap with microcredentials - Cecil Banhan, eCampus News

Without a proper plan of action to provide critical training, organizations risk ineffective business operations and missed employee growth opportunities. To close the skills gap, organizations must prioritize and invest in continued learning opportunities like microcredentials: mini-qualifications that enhance an individual’s skills and knowledge in a specific subject area. By leveraging existing microcredential programs from educational institutions, companies can effectively upskill and reskill their employees. Simultaneously, universities benefit from corporate partnerships with companies by offering microcredential options, creating more accessible education opportunities and expanding their reach with potential students.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2022/12/26/closing-the-skills-gap-with-microcredentials/

BCIT launches new micro-credential for net-zero and Passive House - Peter Caulfield, Journal of Commerce

The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) has introduced a micro-credential program that covers the basics of net-zero and Passive House construction. A tightly focused rapid training program, Essentials of Net-Zero and Passive House Construction is for anyone who wants to learn the basics of how to construct high-performance buildings that meet the standards of the BC Energy Step Code, net-zero energy and Passive House. The micro-credential covers what is needed to understand building enclosures, electrical and mechanical systems. It consists of four required courses and one optional course.

https://canada.constructconnect.com/joc/news/projects/2022/12/bcit-launches-new-micro-credential-for-net-zero-and-passive-house

YouTube Will Launch a Feature Bringing Structured Learning Experiences into Its Channels - IBL News

YouTube announced it will launch a new feature called Courses soon to bring structured learning experiences along with a monetization solution. Instructors will be able to organize their videos along with reading materials and questions. The content will be offered for free or for a fee without any ads. YouTube unveiled this feature, now in beta, at its annual Google conference in India this week.

https://iblnews.org/youtube-announced-it-will-launch-a-new-feature-called-courses-soon-to-bring-structured-learning-experiences-along-with-a-monetization-solution/

Workers and employers are increasingly invested in digital credentials. - KYRA SUTTON, Fast Company

Today, applicants can earn digital certificates or “badges” through online courses to signal to employers that they are invested in lifelong learning and to demonstrate the skills they possess. One of the most popular places to do so is LinkedIn Learning.  LinkedIn reports that more than 44% of users added certificates to their profiles in the last two years. And LinkedIn Learning is expected to grow in the years ahead. The company recently acquired learning management system EduBrite and expanded its partnership with software development training firm GitHub. 

https://www.fastcompany.com/90828661/how-linkedin-learning-and-digital-certificates-are-impacting-the-job-application-process

Collin College partners with Rice University to open tax initiative to provide students with free textbooks, resources - North Dallas Gazette

Collin College is now part of the Institutional Partner Program for Rice University’s educational technology initiative, OpenStax. The free program provides higher education institutions with open educational resources (OER) to support their mission of improving educational access and learning for everyone. (volodymyr-hryshchenko / Unsplash)

After a lengthy selection process, Collin College was named a partner in October 2022. OpenStax representatives will visit the college in the upcoming spring semester and offer faculty and staff ways to implement OpenStax resources in class for student success.

https://northdallasgazette.com/2022/12/21/collin-college-partners-with-rice-university-to-open-tax-initiative-to-provide-students-with-free-textbooks-resources/

Gauging the macro impact of microcredentials - Susan Manning, eCampus News

By pairing microcredentials with digital credentials, individuals are prepared for a changing workforce and can make a big impact in three key ways.  Digital credentials provide a common language of knowledge, skills, and abilities for the emerging workforce. Employers use them to help talent management verify, quantify, and understand the skills and competencies of both candidate pools and current employees. Think of microcredentials as the “what” and digital credentials as the “how.” Microcredentials represent what is being learned.  Digital credentials are how a student makes use of what is being learned.

https://www.ecampusnews.com/2022/12/21/gauging-the-macro-impact-of-microcredentials/

Immersive East Tennessee State Program Provides Accelerated Tech Degrees, Guaranteed Jobs - American Council on Education

ETSU, home to one of Tennessee’s most comprehensive computer science programs, and BCBST, a leading employer in the state, recently debuted an intensive program called the BlueSky Tennessee Institute to help replenish the talent pipeline. Upon graduation, students will earn a bachelor’s degree in computing with a concentration in information systems from ETSU and a full-time job offer paying over $50,000 from BCBST. BlueSky has accumulated enough scholarship funding to enable the first cohort to graduate debt-free, and it aims to replicate this for subsequent classes. The partners hope the program’s affordability and the career security it provides will expand the tech talent pool by attracting students who were not planning to go to college.

https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/Member-Spotlight-ETSU-BlueSky.aspx

Micro-credentials: The new way forward to plug talent gaps and support lifelong learning - Arina Sofiah, Human Resources Online

However, the global issue of attracting and retaining talent remains prevalent in the post-pandemic world. In the ICT sector specifically, Singapore faces a talent gap of 19,000, particularly in roles like software engineering and development. As one tech leader pointed out: “Singapore is home to 80 of the world’s top 100 tech companies and over 3,800 tech enabled start-ups, yet one of the nation’s biggest challenges that persists is talent shortage.” As a whole, Singapore needs 1.2mn additional digital workers by 2025 to remain competitive, according to a report commissioned by Amazon Web Services. Clearly, there is a need to nurture a strong pipeline of local talent, including fresh graduates and mid-career professionals, while ensuring our existing workforce remains relevant and competitive in this fast-changing digital economy.

https://www.humanresourcesonline.net/micro-credentials-the-new-way-forward-to-plug-talent-gaps-and-support-lifelong-learning