New England faces a fast-changing economy, economic inequalities, and unparalleled demographic challenges. Access to and completion of an affordable postsecondary credential of value is the key to our region’s ability to adapt to changing workforce needs, attract and retain workers, and provide pathways to growth-oriented, high-wage jobs.

A comprehensive, cloud-based registry that houses, organizes, and connects credential information from four targeted industry sectors –life-/biosciences, health, IT, and business & finance – published by higher education education institutions and other credential providers in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachussets, and Rhode Island. The registry uses the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) to provide standardized terminology to describe credentials and can be used to build customized apps. Unlike the credential descriptions currently made available by individual institutions, the registry will provide students/workers, employers, educators, and policy leaders with transparent, standardized, easy-to-read information about the meaning and value of various credentials and discern viable educational and career pathways associated with specific credentials and/or industries.

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Tags: Credential Ecosystem, State Partners & Policymakers
Fact Sheets

Open, Interoperable Data for Actionable Credential Ecosystems

Creating an effective, efficient, and fair marketplace for credentials, qualifications, and skills requires collaboration among various stakeholders, including employers, educational providers, quality assurance organizations, assessment bodies, funders, and guidance platforms.

Other Resources

Credential Transparency Self-Assessment

This self-assessment tool provides an overview of the specific steps laid out in the “Making Sense of Credentials: A State Roadmap and Action Guide for Transparency” report that state leaders can take to help integrate a common data infrastructure into their statewide education systems and to build a public, open marketplace for information about credentials for learners, workers, employers, and others to make informed decisions about credentials and pathways.

Blog

The Fast Train from Chaos

Board member, Kathleen deLaski, shares her thoughts on the chaos caused by the "unbundling" of higher education and examines the findings of the 2022 Counting Credentials report.

Report

Counting U.S. Secondary and Postsecondary Credentials Report (2022)

Learners, educators, and policymakers recognize that high school completion and education beyond high school are critical for individuals to thrive in a complex global economy. This fourth Counting Credentials report attempts to count the total credentials available, following a thorough and rigorous method for each credential type. The report identifies 1,076,358 unique credentials in the U.S.

Fact Sheets

Open, Interoperable Data for Actionable Credential Ecosystems

Creating an effective, efficient, and fair marketplace for credentials, qualifications, and skills requires collaboration among various stakeholders, including employers, educational providers, quality assurance organizations, assessment bodies, funders, and guidance platforms.

Other Resources

Credential Transparency Self-Assessment

This self-assessment tool provides an overview of the specific steps laid out in the “Making Sense of Credentials: A State Roadmap and Action Guide for Transparency” report that state leaders can take to help integrate a common data infrastructure into their statewide education systems and to build a public, open marketplace for information about credentials for learners, workers, employers, and others to make informed decisions about credentials and pathways.

Blog

The Fast Train from Chaos

Board member, Kathleen deLaski, shares her thoughts on the chaos caused by the "unbundling" of higher education and examines the findings of the 2022 Counting Credentials report.

Report

Counting U.S. Secondary and Postsecondary Credentials Report (2022)

Learners, educators, and policymakers recognize that high school completion and education beyond high school are critical for individuals to thrive in a complex global economy. This fourth Counting Credentials report attempts to count the total credentials available, following a thorough and rigorous method for each credential type. The report identifies 1,076,358 unique credentials in the U.S.

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Our team of experts is ready to help you embark your credential transparency journey. Whether you have questions about our technologies, services, or don’t know how to get started, we’re here to assist.

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