One key distinction between a certification and other credentials is its ability to signal continued competence in a profession, making it the only credential that indicates its holders’ commitments to lifelong learning. This distinction is due to the recertification requirements which individuals must fulfill to maintain their certifications. …

Certificates play a vital role in today’s skills-based economy, signaling to employers the learning outcomes that potential hires have achieved, and allowing job seekers to gain specific skills and knowledge to bolster their progress on a desired career path. In spite of their growing visibility-in 2020 there were 318,792 unique…

In the world of competencies and credentials-certificates, certifications, degrees, badges, and licenses-there are a lot of details and nuances that can be overwhelming. …

Workcred’s latest issue briefs on certification pathways, quality assurance, recertification, and policy/operational recommendations focused on different aspects of certifications. One commonality among the publications was that they all highlighted the need for additional data to better understand certifications. Recommendations for data in these briefs were wide-ranging: from data to better…

A new series of reports co-published by Workcred, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, and the George Washington Institute of Public Policy serve as a resource to help policymakers, practitioners, employers, and funders better understand the characteristics of certifications, and their potential to help people enter the labor market, obtain a…

Workcred has developed a set of case studies that reveal just how powerful collaboration is to certifications. In fact, collaboration among key stakeholders can have a positive and long-term impact on credentials and workforce development, as outlined in each of the case studies showcased in this series. …

The word “credential” is often used as an umbrella term to describe certificates, diplomas, certifications, licenses, and various other credentials (see Figure 1). For more than 50 years, the credentialing industry has operated under accepted standards for the development and ongoing maintenance of credentials to help ensure the validity and…

Standards exist to protect human health, safety, and the environment, as well as to ensure that different products work together. In the U.S. alone, there are more than 100,000 standards across all areas of industry. Standards enable you to make a phone call anywhere in the world, ensure that batteries…

A recent publication in Issues in Science and Technology-co-authored by Workcred’s Isabel Cardenas-Navia and New America’s Shalin Jyotishi-explores Learning and Employment Records (LERs), digital records detailing a person’s education, training, and work experience that are verified through a distributed system similar to blockchain. The article, “Everything You’ve Ever Learned,” explores…