It’s possible for states to have full transparency about both the skills needed for success in the job market and the credentials that signal competence and readiness for those jobs. But it only will happen if states employ better workforce and education data through P-20W data systems and adopt new technology that enables the data to be analyzed and made actionable.

Over the next decade, employers will need to fill millions of jobs that require higher-order thinking skills, specialized knowledge, and education or training beyond high school. For that reason, many states are aiming for 65% of residents to hold high-quality postsecondary credentials by 2025. Hitting that goal depends on whether states can close gaps in educational attainment, align what’s taught with labor market needs and increase racial and ethnic diversity in key industries.

With this in mind, Credential Engine published a Policy Brief­­—Credential Transparency & P-20W: Aligning Education and Employment Information to Meet State Goals—co-signed by the Council of Chief State School Officers, Data Quality Campaign, Education Commission of the States, Education Quality Outcomes Standards Board, Education Strategy Group, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Governors Association, National Skills Coalition, and State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. This brief—the first in a six-part series­—builds atop the State Roadmap and Action Guide to Transparency to motivate states to see the benefits of a connected, open-access data network, and understand how we can all work to better align our data to aid in decision making.

It’s possible for states to have full transparency about both the skills needed for success in the job market and the credentials that signal competence and readiness for those jobs. But it only will happen if states employ better workforce and education data through P-20W data systems and adopt new technology that enables the data to be analyzed and made actionable.

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Additional Resources

Continue reading our roadmap, explore our state and regional partnership map, or read our policy briefs for integrating credential transparency into education and workforce development strategies

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