Over the past year, Credential Engine’s second cohort of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-supported subgrantees has demonstrated how transparent, connected credential data can strengthen education, workforce development, and economic opportunity.
Working across higher education, state agencies, workforce organizations, industry associations, and Tribal communities, these partnerships have expanded the availability of information about credentials, skills, competencies, occupations, and career pathways through the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) and the Credential Registry. While each project addressed unique regional and organizational priorities, they all shared a common goal: creating a more transparent and connected education-to-employment ecosystem.
Advancing State and Regional Credential Transparency
Accelerate Montana + Montana Colleges
Partners: Accelerate Montana, Flathead Valley Community College, Gallatin College, Dawson, Highlands College, Miles Community College, Salish Kootenai College, Bitterroot College, Great Falls College, Helena College, and Missoula College
Accelerate Montana expanded the Credential Registry to include dual enrollment programs, non-credit to credit pathways, and richer credential data across Montana’s higher education system. What began as a five-institution pilot grew into a collaboration with nine colleges, resulting in the publishing of 323 credentials with data on costs, financial aid, delivery methods, workforce alignment, and stackable pathways.
The project’s impact extended beyond the Credential Registry. Following the launch of the pilot, Montana passed the STARS Act, establishing Future Ready Payments for high school students earning industry-recognized credentials. The Montana Department of Labor and Industry selected Credential Engine as the infrastructure supporting its qualifying credential list, demonstrating the value of transparent credential data in supporting statewide workforce initiatives.
Ohio Association of Community Colleges + Ohio Department of Higher Education
Partners: Ohio Association of Community Colleges, Ohio Department of Higher Education
Seventeen Ohio community colleges published and updated nearly 4,000 credentials with expanded information including program details, costs, financial aid, competencies, support services, and more.
The project also expanded through collaboration with Ohio’s Department of Job and Family Services, which published nearly 800 occupations with labor market information, including job openings, median salaries, and growth rates. By connecting credentials to occupations, Ohio created a clearer view of the pathways from education to employment.
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE)
Partners: PASSHE and Pennsylvania Community Colleges
PASSHE partnered with nine community colleges to expand credential transparency across Pennsylvania. Participating institutions published credential information, including program descriptions, cost, financial assistance, and workforce connections.
By linking credential data to regional wage information and U.S. Department of Labor occupations, the project strengthened pathways between two-year and four-year institutions and increased visibility into education and career opportunities.
Elevating Skills and Competencies
Accelerate Montana + Blackfeet Tribal Nation
Partners: Accelerate Montana, Blackfeet Tribal Nation
Accelerate Montana partnered with the Blackfeet Nation to make Indigenous cultural knowledge visible within workforce systems. Standard workforce taxonomies often overlook cultural competencies unique to Tribal communities. Through this project, the 10 Blackfeet Living Principles were translated into structured workplace competencies and published as open linked data in the Credential Registry using CTDL.
The project creates a model for other Tribal Nations seeking to preserve and share Indigenous knowledge while connecting it to workforce systems. A companion documentary captures the collaborative process and lessons learned.
Bristol Community College
Partners: Bristol Community College
Bristol Community College completed a two-year initiative connecting academic programs, competencies, and workforce needs through the Credential Registry.
The college published career-focused credentials alongside competency maps and job skills data, helping identify connections between curriculum and employer demand. Bristol also expanded skills mapping across institutional job categories to support hiring, professional development, and skills-based workforce practices.
Through conference presentations and practitioner engagement, Bristol shared lessons learned and contributed to broader adoption of skills-based approaches across higher education.
Making Career Pathways More Visible
Advance Vermont
Partners: Advance Vermont, Northwest Career and Technical Center, Cold Hollow Career Center, North Country Career Center, Lyndon Institute, St. Johnsbury Academy, Stafford Technical Center, River Bend Career and Technical Center, Windham Regional Career Center, Southwest Vermont Regional Technical School District
Advance Vermont partnered with nine Career and Technical Education (CTE) centers to publish approximately 116 credentials serving high school students and adult learners across Vermont communities with lower levels of credential attainment. The specific data published includes Tier 1 and Tier 2 data from Credential Engine’s Equity Advisory Council Report and Recommendations.
By making CTE credential information publicly available through the Credential Registry and Credential Finder, the project helps learners identify short-term training opportunities, career pathways, and programs that support workforce advancement.
Wingate University + Our Future in UNiSON
Partners: Wingate University, Anson County Schools, South Piedmont Community College, Union County Public Schools, Union County Chamber of Commerce, local employers, and Our Future in UNiSON partners
Our Future in UNiSON worked with education, business, and community partners in North Carolina’s Anson and Union counties to publish job skills, learning opportunities, and career pathways in healthcare, manufacturing, and business.
Using CTDL and the Pathway Builder, partners aligned local education programs with employer-identified workforce needs. The project also created customized widgets that help students, educators, and employers explore regional career pathways.
These partnerships demonstrate how credential transparency can transform education and workforce systems. From advancing statewide policy initiatives in Montana and Ohio, to expanding career pathway visibility in Vermont and North Carolina, to elevating Indigenous knowledge, each project contributed to a more connected ecosystem of credential, skill, and workforce data.
Interested in partnering with Credential Engine to advance credential transparency? Contact us at info@credentialengine.org to learn more.