Pennsylvania

Leaders in Pennsylvania are building a public credential registry of all educational and industry credentials available in the Commonwealth. Led by the Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), this initiative seeks to address workforce needs in the state by bringing transparency to the education landscape and highlighting in-demand credentials that lead to in-demand jobs. 

The public registry will play a key role in bridging the gap between supply and demand for skilled workers in critical areas. Learners can discover key information about credentials, their outcomes, and their connections within pathways that lead to these important and wage-sustaining careers. Industry and employers can more readily fill critical labor shortages by identifying workers with the transparent skills and training necessary for these jobs. With Pennsylvania residents comprising nearly 90% of enrolled students in their system institutions, PASSHE is well-positioned to lead the charge for workforce development in the state.

PASSHE worked with Credential Engine to develop a credential registry for programs at the system’s four-year institutions. With support from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, these public credential records include data on learner outcomes, such as post-graduation employment rates and median earnings. 

All credentials from system-owned institutions have been published, which demonstrates the value of credential transparency and supports learners navigating various high-demand pathways. Moving forward, Pennsylvania will focus on several areas:

• Developing educational and career pathways in high-demand areas such as education, business, health, computer science, engineering, and social services including 2-year to 4-year pathways,
• Making public data on non-credit programs,
• Collecting data on competencies and learning outcomes to more accurately reflect the concrete learnings obtained through credentials earned in the Commonwealth,
• Connecting with other higher education institutions and systems in the state to build awareness and widen the scope of the Pennsylvania Credential Registry.

PASSHE was awarded a grant from Credential Engine and the Gates Foundation to partner with the Pennsylvania Community Colleges to publish credential data to the Registry. This included publishing robust metadata such as financial assistance, costs, duration, classification of instructional programs and occupational codes, and connections to median annual wages, occupations, and workforce development regions.