Note, this version has been superseded. To read the most updated document, click here.

The ever-shifting work and learn landscape has made selecting an education and training program a more high-stakes choice for students and workers than ever before. With hundreds of thousands of credentials available in the U.S. alone, and little easily-accessible data available about the majority of them, the credential marketplace is confusing and chaotic. While many initiatives are working hard to bring order and understanding to this key piece of the nation’s economy, coordination among efforts has been challenging to track. To improve coordination and collaboration, more than 30 funders joined a discussion hosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co., Lumina Foundation, Markle Foundation, and Schmidt Futures in fall 2018 to consider key questions about the credential marketplace. To understand the scope of work currently in action, the group began work on a map that describes the work of several initiatives, identifies the key players, and lists the mileposts they seek to reach with projected timelines. We’re pleased to share this working-draft mapping document which we will update each year. Our goal is to bring greater transparency to initiatives already at play and spur conversations about what efforts are missing and actions we can take to accelerate the work.

pdf_A Guide to Key Initiatives for the Connected Learn and Work Ecosystem_FINAL_190118

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Fact Sheets

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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.

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.

Report

Education and Training Expenditures in the U.S. Report (2022)

Learners, educators, employers, and policymakers understand that expenditures on education and training are necessary to develop the skills and talent required by today’s and tomorrow’s workforce. However, we do not have a robust understanding of how much we spend nationwide on acquiring these necessary skills and credentials.

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