Data transparency is key for future learners and workers to have clear pathways to success. But how do we achieve full data transparency? Is that even possible? At Credential Engine, we believe it is, but it requires partnership and collaboration to have an open and transparent ecosystem.
Since its inception, Credential Engine has worked with states to establish state credential registries (also referred to as a ‘library’) that bring comprehensive, comparable, and navigable information about credentials, skills, and career pathways to its citizens. State registries are publicly accessible libraries of essential information about credential data (diplomas, certificates, certifications, digital badges, apprenticeships, licenses, and degrees) where student- and learner-facing tools can access and consume the data and make it actionable. Linked open data is the backbone of these registries, and with the support of the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL), a linked open data schema, and the Credential Registry, a database of CTDL metadata monitored by Credential Engine, state registries can feed tools to promote credential transparency and support learner and worker success.
Texas is estimated to have over 24,000 different credentials in the state, but it previously lacked a way to access the credential information and use it for the benefit of Texans. As the number of employer-led credential programs continued to grow, Texas sought a solution. Credential transparency allows for the open sharing and verification of credential data and skills, enabling individuals and organizations to understand their best pathways while ensuring that the data provided is verifiable and accurate. Texas’s commitment to credential transparency is crucial for ensuring that Texans meet required standards, enhance opportunities for success, and support informed decision-making by employers and consumers.
Since 2022, Credential Engine has collaborated with the Texas Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative, which brings together the Texas Education Agency (TEA), Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), and Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), to establish the state’s first credential library. This library will house all available credentials delivered, issued, funded, or governed by the state, and make them transparently available to all Texans in a linked open data format (CTDL). All of this data will be available in the Credential Registry and the Texas Credential Library (MyTXLibrary) as linked open data.
Library data includes information about providers, programs, credentials, and other information to help students and lifelong learners make informed decisions about their educational choices, such as cost, duration, and occupations related to the credential. Already in 2024, the TWC, with Tri-Agency partners, has published a collection of Industry-Based Certifications (IBCs) aligned to the state’s career and technical education programs, a collection of early childhood credentials and learning opportunities, and over 1,100 healthcare credentials offered by Texas public colleges and universities. You can learn more about the Tri-Agency priorities in “Putting Education to Work: The Texas Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative,” a case study from the Bush Center.
As we enter into 2025, Credential Engine will continue working with the Tri-Agency partners to make Texas credential data openly available and richer. This work plans to cover publishing more data about training providers, Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) programs and providers, Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways, and a deep focus on healthcare credentials and pathways to support a Governor’s task force aimed at addressing industry workforce shortages.
The work with the three Texas agencies complements our ongoing efforts with regional partners in Texas: Dallas College, Houston Community College, and the Community College Growth Engine with Education Design Lab (the Lab).
- Dallas College has published over 500 credentials to the Credential Registry and participated in a pilot to publish transfer value data that indicated acceptance of American Council on Education (ACE) credit for prior learning recommendations,
- Houston Community College is working with Credential Engine to make credentials transparent and ‘interconnected’, hoping to increase attainment of industry-recognized credentials. They have published nearly 400 credentials to the Credential Registry, and when applicable, linked them to industry-recognized certificates and certifications issued by national organizations,
- Community College Growth Engine in collaboration with the Lab, supports community college systems, including several community colleges in Texas, related to state agencies in their efforts to prepare for the heightened expansion of skills-based learning and hiring.
Our work with these regional partners further benefits the state because their linked open data can be brought into the Texas Credential Library for the benefit of all Texans.
With Texas’ commitment to building a Talent Strong Texas, they are leading the charge with publishing rich data and making it openly available. As the information in the Texas Credential Library grows, so do opportunities for Texans to find the education and career pathways for them to be successful in their communities. Rich open credential data can be consumed by learner- and student-facing tools, allowing for prior learning mobility, understanding pathways and opportunities for success, supporting lifelong learning, and more. Additionally, linked open data can support credential wallets, powering these ‘wallets’ to store, manage, and present personal credentials or identifiers securely. These credentials can include things like identification cards, driver’s licenses, academic degrees, or professional certifications.
We invite all states to partner with Credential Engine and start your credential transparency journey. Credential transparency supports workforce and economic development, promotion of education and training opportunities, informs policymaking, facilitation of inter- and cross-state mobility, and more.
If you are interested in learning more about how your state can benefit from credential transparency, how to get started making your data transparent, and more, contact us at info@credentialengine.org.
If you would like to be a part of the Texas Credential Library, contact txcredentialconnect@twc.texas.gov.