Lead Agency: Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education
Why We’re Committed
“The State System is redesigning itself to meet the needs of today’s learners and provide a pipeline of talented people that employers desperately want, and the credential registry is one important part of that process. Credentials add value to your resume by demonstrating to employers that you have the education and latest skills to do the job. Students and job seekers will be able to use the credential registry to understand the pathways to earn credentials that open doors to new and higher-paying jobs.” – Dan Greenstein, PASSHE chancellor.
About
Pennsylvania
Driving Workforce Development with Credential Transparency
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 has completed the first phase of this work, leveraging state workforce funding and federal pandemic relief funds. Starting with records housed in their system-wide academic program inventory, 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 earning amounts.
All credentials from system-owned institutions will be included initially, which will help to demonstrate the value of credential transparency and support 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.
State Partners
Regional Partners
Get in Touch
Our team of experts is ready to help you embark your credential transparency journey. Whether you have questions about our technologies, services, or don’t know how to get started, we’re here to assist.