Building OPEN: Transforming State and National Data into a Connected Education and Workforce Network

Navigating the complex landscape of educational and career credentials is increasingly challenging, with nearly 60,000 providers offering over 1 million credentials that create an overwhelming maze of options, obscuring pathways to opportunity. Credential Engine harnesses the power of open data—information that is freely available for anyone to access, use, and share without restrictions—to demystify this intricate system, making comprehensive, reliable information about credentials, skills, programs, jobs, and outcomes accessible and easily shareable. 

While industry-recognized credential lists, outcomes, job skills, and other valuable data are currently scattered across static websites, dashboards, and PDFs, Credential Engine is developing a methodology, using publicly available data, for unlocking large and strategic data sets through the OPEN initiative. Many states and regions have already and are currently uploading valuable data to the Credential Registry, however, they may lack a way to link this information. OPEN provides a connectivity opportunity and is a solution to maximize the value of state and regional data. By transforming how people understand and engage with educational and career development, open data provides transparency and empowers individuals to make more informed decisions about their professional futures. 

This approach converts publicly available credential, skill, and job data into the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL), a structured, linked open data format.  By reimagining how information is presented, OPEN aims to empower partners to use, share, and present this information through dynamic websites, interactive applications, and innovative platforms that directly benefit workers, students, and stakeholders. The primary goal is to provide clear, accessible information that illuminates diverse learning and career pathways, making complex educational and professional landscapes more navigable and transparent. Through OPEN, this enhances existing state and regional initiatives by connecting valuable open data to their ongoing work.

This significant expansion of data significantly enhances the Credential Registry’s ability to collect, connect, and make searchable information about various credentials and competencies in the workforce ecosystem—enabling partners to conduct deeper, more nuanced explorations of credential and workforce data, while we also work to drive scale and ubiquity that make CTDL more valuable the more it is used. Credential Engine has selected three states and current partners—Arkansas, Colorado, and Texas —for our initial focus. These states bring valuable experience in data publishing and a strong commitment to generating publicly accessible linked open data. Soon, through OPEN, Arkansas, Colorado, and Texas will be building on the information they have already contributed to the Registry. 

The OPEN data expansion represents a collaborative approach to system improvement. By providing more comprehensive and detailed information, these states aim to support individuals in making more informed decisions about their educational and professional opportunities. For example, training providers may possess valuable information about student support services, but this data frequently exists outside of databases and is not easily mapped to CTDL for publication in the registry. Through OPEN, Credential Engine can access and integrate this supplemental information to enhance and build upon the existing registry data. The initiative goes beyond simply sharing data; it seeks to create a more equitable and efficient ecosystem of open information.

State agencies will publish a wide range of critical data, including:

• Registered apprenticeship information
• Student financial support details
• Comprehensive outcomes data
• Detailed credentials and program information
• Insights into student support services

By supporting structured, linked, and open data, Credential Engine is reimagining how individuals navigate educational and career opportunities. We’re creating an ecosystem that empowers data owners and supports learners by transforming how credentials and opportunities are understood. Through the OPEN, we aim to break down barriers and illuminate pathways, connecting learners, educators, and employers in a more transparent, accessible marketplace of opportunity.

If you are an industry-recognized credential provider and would like to explore OPEN data options in your area, contact open@credentialengine.org for more information. Additionally, you can view additional information and resources online.