Building Solutions That Enable Better Learning and Career Opportunities

Every day, people make major life decisions about education and career pathways without access to clear, comparable information. Is this training program worth the cost? Does this credential actually lead to better job opportunities? Will it teach the right skills? Currently, the answers either don’t exist, or they are buried in disconnected systems that create unnecessary hurdles for learners, employers, and policymakers to make informed choices. 

The solution isn’t just more data — it’s better data. What we need is transparent, useful, and comparable credential and skills information that allows learning opportunities to connect seamlessly with career pathways.

The Unseen Backbone That Powers Informed Decision-Making

The key to unlocking these clearer pathways is structured, open, and linked data — information organized in a way that makes it easy to compare, understand, and use credential and skills information.

Imagine booking a vacation without a system that seamlessly connects airlines, hotels, schedules, and destinations. You’d have to visit dozens of individual websites, manually compare flight times and hotel prices, and piece together an itinerary with no guarantee that all the details align. Today’s credential landscape operates in a similarly chaotic way, with millions of education and training options, but no standardized way to compare them.

Just as the travel industry relies on a universal system to share flight and hotel data across platforms like Expedia and Travelocity, the credential and skills ecosystem needs a common language that describes learning opportunities, job qualifications, and training programs in a way that allows information to be combined and compared. That’s where the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) comes in. CTDL provides that infrastructure, enabling credentials and skills to be consistently defined, easily compared, and more effectively connected to career pathways. With this foundation in place, AI tools, career platforms, and hiring systems can deliver clearer, more accurate insights, helping learners make informed education and career choices.

How Structured Data Empowers Action 

When credential and skill data is structured and linked using CTDL, it becomes the foundation for real-world solutions that drive transparency and opportunity across sectors:

• Government agencies are creating credential registries that clarify the credential and skills landscape in order to bridge the gap between education and employment. New Jersey’s MyCareerNJ platform helps individuals discover opportunities and navigate career transitions.
• Education providers are including structured data into digital credentials, so learners can use their verified skills in platforms to further their education or identify aligned career opportunities. WGU and Indiana’s My Achievement Wallet is powered by AI for job matching and career planning, connecting verified worker credentials directly to employer needs.
• Employers are engaging AI-powered tools to find people who possess the skills and competencies they need for an open job. 

Every time an organization adopts structured credential and skill data, it strengthens the entire system. This makes it easier for others to integrate, build on, and expand these solutions, ultimately helping to advance workforce and economic development.

Solutions at Scale for a More Connected Future

The power of credential and skill transparency is already being demonstrated in states, industries, and workforce systems across the country. To accelerate this momentum, our mission is to:

• Expand the use of CTDL and credential and skill registries so more organizations can integrate structured, linked data into their systems.
• Support the development of real-world solutions that make it easier for people to find and navigate learning and job opportunities.
• Ensure credential data is actionable, accessible, and actively used to benefit learners, workers, educators, and employers.

The Road Ahead

Transparency is not just about disclosing information, it’s about empowering action. When credentials and skills are communicated in structured, linked, and open data formats, people can confidently navigate their options, employers can make smarter hiring decisions, and educators can design programs that truly align with workforce needs.

If you’re an education provider, employer, policymaker, or workforce leader, you have a role to play in making credential transparency a reality. Learn more about CTDL-powered solutions and how you can help build clearer pathways to opportunity.