Micro-credentials vis a vis competency-based certifications of skill domains have existed for decades across vocational-technical education and the professions. What appears to be changing is the "priority" ascribed to different micro-credentials along a credentials continuum that has focused on formal degrees and certificates. This…

To meet the demands of jobs, now and in the future, jobseekers should possess a variety of skills frequently requested by employers. Skills can be both academic and technical in nature but also include personal qualities and advanced cognitive skills, such as decision-making and interpersonal skills--referred to in this report as success skills.…

Given changes in the 21st century workplace and expectations of employers, the notion that a bachelor's degree is the sole pathway to sustainable employment and a middle-class life in the United States has become obsolete. Many (e.g., Fleming, 2016) have argued that employers are now seeking employees with technical skills, digital literacy, and…

This paper focuses on the potential of competency assessment to support the long-term growth of the labour market by facilitating the appropriate employment of skilled immigrants. A competency-informed approach involves looking holistically at an individual's ability to apply knowledge and skills with appropriate judgment in a defined setting. The…

As policy makers have placed an increasing focus on training and preparing workers to obtain postsecondary credentials, questions remain about the value to various actors, especially for job seekers and workers who often invest time and money to obtain a credential with the hopes of improving their employment prospects and raising their earnings.…

With funding from the Joyce and Lumina foundations, Jobs for the Future (JFF) launched Credentials that Work to help postsecondary institutions, regions, and states align their occupational training programs to changing market demands. This initiative incorporates innovations in real-time labor market information in guiding institutions to better…

Across the country, large numbers of young people are dreaming about and planning on attending college. A poll released in 2005 showed that 87 percent of all young people want to go to college. Often, however, parents' and students' dreams for the future are not being realized. Many young people never enroll in a postsecondary institution, and of…

In an effort to inform preschool policy in California, an interdisciplinary team of RAND researchers conducted a multiyear study of preschool education known as the California Preschool Study. One of the recommendations from that study was the need for a more in-depth analysis of the effectiveness of the early care and education (ECE) workforce…

Globalization is putting increasing pressure on jobs in the United Kingdom, particularly among less skilled activities. The European response through the Lisbon Strategy has been diffuse, while UK policy appears much more focused, concentrating on the need to raise education and skill levels. The present paper examines the transition towards a…

EXISTING SOCIAL AND OCCUPATIONAL STRUCTURES SHOULD BE REMADE SO THAT CREDENTIALISM DOES NOT ARBITARILY BAR NEGROES AND THE POOR FROM ECONOMIC WELL-BEING AND SOCIAL MOBILITY. GRADUATION FROM A SCHOOL SIMPLY IMPLIES THAT ONE HAS FIT INTO THE PROPER EDUCATIONAL STRAITS AND DOES NOT NECESSARILY SIGNAL QUALITY PERFORMANCE. CREDENTIALISM AND ITS…

Asserts the need for a universal system of credentialing across the nation's community and technical colleges. Suggests that professionally recognized skill certifications are being demanded by employers, and that community colleges will do well to respond. Proposes the development of a national/state credentialing system based upon industry…

This comprehensive document replaces the previously published Benchmark Report, Benchmark Report Executive Summary, Iowa's Community College Basic Literacy Skills Credential Report, Iowa GED Statistical Report, GED Annual Performance Report and Iowa's Adult Literacy Program National Reporting System Annual Performance Report (Graphic…

This Policy Brief is intended to help the National Commission on Adult Literacy consider state and federal policy strategies that hold promise for increasing the number of lower-skilled adults, including those with limited English skills, who earn postsecondary credentials that can open the door to family-supporting jobs and careers. It examines…

Presented are three brochures--for employers, colleges, and prospective employees respectively--that collectively explain Britain's efforts to simplify the nation's current vocational qualification system and to set up new national vocational qualifications (NVQs) for all occupational areas by 1991. The new NVQs are based on the achievement of…

Discussion of the Australian education system gives a brief overview of the entire system, then details key developments in higher education and in the vocational education sector, including aspects of funding, international cooperation, reform and expansion, quality assurance, delivery systems, apprenticeship programs, responsiveness to the labor…