Friday, June 21, 2024

CECU statement on the Ensuring Distance Education Act, introduced by Rep. Burgess Owens

CECU’s President and CEO, Dr. Jason Altmire, issued the following statement regarding the introduction of the Ensuring Distance Education Act: "Career Education Colleges and Universities applauds Congressman Owens on the introduction of the Ensuring Distance Education Act, a commonsense bill to enable institutions to provide educational opportunities to students through distance learning methods that meet student needs. Adult students often face significant barriers to in-person learning that would help these workers advance or change careers. Distance education helps lower those barriers. This bill would remedy a flawed policy that currently discourages distance education and hybrid curriculums. Congress should support this legislation which recognizes the importance of providing flexible educational opportunities that meet student needs."

Thursday, June 20, 2024

Microcredentialing - EDUCAUSE

Microcredentials are a highly visible way to showcase your expertise with peers and current or prospective employers—helping you stand out in a competitive marketplace. These effective tools motivate learners to continue their professional learning and growth, demonstrate specific skills and/or competencies mastered, recognize accomplishments and experience gained, and reflect significant investment of time in service to the higher education community. EDUCAUSE supports credential transparency, Credential Engine’s initiative to develop a robust digital ecosystem where credentials of all types and the knowledge, skills, abilities, and outcomes they represent can be easily translated across systems and organizations in support of learners.

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CERTIFICATE AND A MICRO-CREDENTIAL? - WVU Online

Online learning offers many opportunities today that non-traditional students didn’t have in the past. But what kind of online educational program is right for you, especially if you need that flexibility and time is also a major factor? That’s where certificates and micro-credentials come in. Both online certificates and micro-credentials can enhance your educational and professional skills in a short period of time, but they serve different purposes. In this article, we will explain the differences between certificates and micro-credentials, so you can decide if one of them is right for you.

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Microcredentials Task Force - PESC (white paper pending)

The Microcredentials in Data Systems Task Force is an open, collaborative, volunteer discussion group looking to provide education & information on skills and competencies; and if needed, changes and updates to PESC Approved Standards. To assist PESC Members & all stakeholders in the student and learner ecosystem, PESC establishes the Microcredentials Task Force, an open discussion forum looking to provide education & information on skills & competencies; and if needed, changes and updates to PESC Approved Standards.

Monday, June 17, 2024

Taking Action on Planetary Health (online certificate program) - University of Toronto

The Taking Action on Planetary Health certificate program focuses on solutions that address the impacts of climate change on human health and ways we can improve the health of our communities as healthcare providers. Working with other learners across 7 collaborative sessions, you’ll develop a practical and sustainable intervention you can readily implement your own clinical practice.

Sunday, June 16, 2024

Ontario Supporting More Industry-Focused Training Programs; New micro-credentials to quickly prepare learners for in-demand jobs

The Ontario government is supporting the development of new micro-credentials to help students train for in-demand jobs in priority sectors like health care and advanced manufacturing. Through a second round of the Ontario Micro-credentials Challenge Fund, the province has invested $5 million for eligible postsecondary institutions to work with industry to co-create or expand rapid training programs that respond to Ontario’s evolving labour market. “The Micro-credentials Challenge Fund brings industry and institutions together to create programs that strengthen Ontario’s workforce and economy,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities.

https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1004681/ontario-supporting-more-industry-focused-training-programs

Saturday, June 15, 2024

Connecting college students with enriching work experiences - Carly D. Robinson, Katharine Meyer, and Susanna Loeb, Brookings

Many college students have access to jobs offering multiple benefits—such as competitive pay, opportunities to contribute to society, and career development—but they often do not apply for these enriching positions.  Simple outreach approaches can substantially increase college students’ applications to potentially enriching job opportunities. College students are particularly responsive to outreach that focuses on the wages of available jobs, even for jobs for which they say they are drawn by societal contributions or career development.

Friday, June 14, 2024

Google funds new cybersecurity clinics at 15 colleges - Skylar Rispens, EdScoop

Google, in coordination with the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics, granted 15 colleges, universities and community colleges up to $1 million each to create new cybersecurity clinics at campuses across the country. In addition to the financial support, the selected higher education institutions will also receive opportunities for student mentorship from Google. The company’s cybersecurity clinics fund seeks to strengthen members of the Consortium of Cybersecurity clinics and bolster the cyber workforce, according to a Google announcement. 

Thursday, June 13, 2024

Work-Based Learning - Strada Foundation

Work-based learning, such as internships, apprenticeships, micro-internships, and experiential/project-based learning, allow students to engage in structured work experiences that reinforce and expand their skill sets within professional settings that are aligned with their career interests and goals. While there is value in all types of work-based learning, internships and apprenticeships have the strongest evidence base for improving student outcomes.

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Best Online Certificate Programs Of 2024 - Garrett Andrews & Brenna Swanston, Forbes

Though not as distinguished as bachelor’s degrees, certificate programs have several important benefits. They allow learners to pursue a particular interest, sometimes at the most prestigious institutions in the world. Credits earned in a certificate program can often transfer to a formal degree. Plus, certificates are significantly cheaper than traditional degrees. Certificates are essentially mini degrees. These academic programs feature short, focused courses that instill job-ready skills. Credentials help learners advance in their careers or move confidently into new ones. And today, many of these programs are offered fully online.

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Pew Research: Is college worth it? Yes, with caveats - Nathan M Greenfield, University World News

Almost one third of Americans do not believe that a college education is worth the cost and 47% believe it is worth it only if they don’t have to take out loans, says a new study by the Pew Research Center. These findings are in line with a trend dating back to at least 2017 when only 49% of Americans reported believing that a college education was worth the cost.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20240531153022807

Monday, June 10, 2024

Funding Student Success: Internships for Humanities Students - Ashley Mowreader, Inside Higher Ed

A$5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will boost internship participation rates among students in the humanities at Old Dominion University in Virginia, providing needed experiential learning and career support for students. Launching this fall, the Monarch Humanities Internship Academy will support hundreds of students each year in securing paid internships to help them in their careers, as well as build talent pipelines for regional employers and beyond. The Monarch Internship and Co-Op Office at ODU is leading the development and rollout of the academy, which began this spring, working to an institutional goal to provide all students with experiential learning by 2027.

Sunday, June 9, 2024

PNC targets young talent, brings hundreds of summer interns to Pittsburgh HQ - Patty Tascarella, Pittsburgh Business Times

An estimated 1,500 interns come to the Pittsburgh region each year and 500 have descended on PNC for a two-day summit at the bank’s corporate headquarters downtown. It’s an annual gathering at the region’s biggest — and nation’s 6th-largest — bank. And it’s also a key component of the talent acquisition strategy at PNC Financial Services Group Inc. The program is one of PNC’s primary early career talent pipelines and it has become increasingly important as the bank expands into new markets.

Saturday, June 8, 2024

Interns, Trainees, and Volunteers Under the FLSA - Practical Law THE Journal

Guidance on how the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) applies to interns, trainees, and volunteers, including when interns and trainees must be classified as employees entitled to minimum wage and overtime pay, and under what circumstances private sector employees may volunteer time and services. This article discusses FLSA issues associated with internship and training programs and employee volunteer activities, including:
  • The primary beneficiary test used by the Department of Labor (DOL) and federal courts to determine the employee status of interns and trainees for minimum pay purposes.
  • The compensability of volunteer activities by employees of private, for-profit employers.
  • The potential consequences of misclassifying employees as unpaid interns, trainees, or volunteers.

Friday, June 7, 2024

3 High-Income Skills You Can Learn For Free In 2024 - Forbes

The more you upskill, the more of a specialist you become, and the more you increase your credibility and quality of work. High-income skills pay much because they are either rare, or they provide strong tangible value to the businesses they serve. They solve or tackle a problem that is at the root of the company being able to make more money. Becoming specialized in your high-income skill puts you in a fortunate position to be able to generate unique and creative solutions to problems, and enables you to command higher pay rates and salaries. If you're wondering where to begin, here are a few you might want to consider learning this year (and remember, you can learn these through bootcamps and online learning platforms, both free and budget-friendly options available).

Thursday, June 6, 2024

Stryker WISE Group Sponsors Female Engineering Excellence Prize with DCU - Dublin City University

Éabha was recognised for her project on “Single Value Metric for Text-To-Video Model Evaluation,” which made significant advancements in a complex and topical area of artificial intelligence. The project successfully communicated a lengthy and complex concept concisely and with great enthusiasm. Awarded by Stryker’s employee resource group, WISE (Women in Science and Engineering), this prize is a recent example of WISE’s role in cultivating diversity, encouraging women to enter technical industries, and building the next generation of STEM leaders.“The Female Engineering Excellence Prize in particular is important to WISE as our mission is to advocate for the growth of women in technical fields. Supporting women coming into the industry underscores our commitment to fostering talent and diversity. By sponsoring these awards, we hope to build the confidence of these students to see the true value of their own skills as they enter industry.”

https://www.dcu.ie/engineeringandcomputing/news/2024/may/stryker-wise-group-sponsors-female-engineering-excellence

Wednesday, June 5, 2024

The Importance of Understanding Non-Degree Credential Quality - the Burning Glass Institute

The number of non-degree credentials (NDCs) has ballooned in the past decade. But despite having hundreds of options to choose from, learners, funders, and employers have little guidance on which NDCs may be best for them. This report offers an overview of NDCs, their significance in the modern labor market, and the pressing need for a framework to evaluate non-degree credential quality.

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

NSDC and ILO collaborated to enhance Skill Development and Lifelong Learning - PSU Connect (India)

The partnership aims to facilitate public-private partnerships and knowledge exchange to enhance Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), develop micro-credentials, and promote Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) through a global knowledge-sharing platform. By strengthening the comparability of skills and qualifications, digital tools will be developed and deployed to assess and compare the skills and qualifications of Indian workers with those required in potential destination countries, improving mobility and global employability prospects for Indian workers.

https://www.psuconnect.in/news/nsdc-and-ilo-collaborated-to-enhance-skill-development-and-lifelong-learning/42795

Monday, June 3, 2024

A ‘Great Misalignment’ Between Credentials and Jobs - Sara Weissman, Inside Higher Ed

Anew report from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce found a “great misalignment” between projected job demand in many local labor markets and the mix of credentials available to workers seeking jobs requiring more than a high school diploma but less than a bachelor’s degree. The report, released on Wednesday, focuses on “middle-skills credentials,” which include sub-baccalaureate certificates and associate degrees, in 565 local labor markets across the country. It noted that, as of the 2020–2021 academic year, there were nearly 4,800 providers of these kinds of credentials, including community colleges, nonprofit and for-profit colleges, private work training organizations, and technical and cosmetology schools.

Sunday, June 2, 2024

New programme of free and subsidised upskilling courses up for grabs at TUS Midwest - Ellen Gough, ClareLive (Ireland)

Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) has been awarded €2 million worth of subsidised places on programmes specifically designed to meet industry skills needs across the Midwest region. The 1,000 places are available through HCI and Springboard+ initiatives, providing upskilling and reskilling places on programmes that are subsidised between 90% to 100%. Speaking about the announcement, TUS Dean of Flexible and Work-based Learning Seamus Hoyne said, “TUS prides itself on delivering upskilling and reskilling opportunities to individuals that meet our regional industry demand. Our programmes have been developed to ensure a pipeline of talent in emerging and growth areas in our region”

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Microcreds can turn volunteering activities into recognised skills - FE Week

Micro-credentials are increasingly being recognised as an effective way to meet employers’ skills needs. But they offer much more than that, not least in terms of social value. The idea that learners can build up sets of industry-relevant specialist skills through accredited ‘bitesize’ modules is pioneering. It provides the flexibility and agility needed in fast-moving sectors where technology is changing all the time and employers need adaptive training models. But micro-credentials themselves have lots of scope to be adaptable, including in the social impact and enrichment space.