Structuring a degree is a common activity for course developers. Analyzing appropriate subjects and year levels, establishing pre- and co-requisite, and benchmarking against similar degrees are common academic activities. However, the degree structure itself has not had significant changes until now. A degree often lacks flexibility and cohesion…

While young people are generally better educated today than ever before, recent graduates tend to lack practical skills -- especially digital skills. Certification programs offer one effective way to address this digital skills gap. They give learners a way to gain the skills they need to compete, and also to demonstrate credibly that they possess…

Students planning to attend community college or enter the workforce directly from high school need technical instruction and work experience that result in industry designed and recognized credentials along with a high school diploma. This fact sheet examines the Delaware Pathways program, which provides students with career-readiness training…

In January 2011, the California Community Colleges Board of Governors formed a task force to chart a roadmap for system-wide focus on student success. The task force identified best practices and designed evidence-based recommendations to ensure student success is a driving theme in colleges. This comprehensive plan, known as the Student Success…

The issue of credentialing and certification has become a major topic of discussion in America's community colleges. At the heart of this issue is the movement of private sector companies into areas previously viewed as the province of higher education: education and training, assessment of competencies, and the awarding of credentials that carry…

The aims and motives of schooling are changing, and it is becoming more and more a ritualized process of qualification-earning. The underlying causes of this change are traced through the education histories of Britain, Japan, Sri Lanka, and Kenya. It is illustrated that the competitve scramble for scarce modern jobs has created a "backwash…

Many difficult political, administrative, and technical issues must be addressed in developing occupational standards and certification systems in middle income and developing countries. Political issues focus on the clear recognition within the country, particularly by the key stakeholders (government, unions, enterprises), of the following: the…

The heritage and history of the United States have influenced its consistent tendency toward voluntary adoption of standards achieved by consensus and toward guidelines rather than regulations. Major initiatives have continued to move toward a systematic, if not a centralized or standardized, approach. Over the past 20 years, varying degrees of…

This report focuses on the use of nationally recognized, industry-based skill standards and occupational certifications that promote certificate portability, skill transferability, worker mobility, and education and training consistency within and across states and nationwide. Chapters 1, 2, and 3 define what is meant by skill standards and…

These proceedings contain reports of the plenary and working group sessions of a seminar to exchange information on such topics as the social dialogue on vocational education and training (VET) at the European level and involvement of social partners in development and implementation of European Community VET policy. Each report is introduced by a…

This guidebook provides an overview of the Common Framework for Skill Standards (CFSS) developed by the National Skill Standards Board (NSSB). It is designed for voluntary partnerships, convening groups, and anyone interested in learning more about how skill standards can increase the skills and productivity of American workers. A companion…

States that the U.S. economy exhibits a voracious demand for information technology (IT) certification programs and, it is claimed, the U.S. system of education isn't producing them. Explains that most IT certification providers operate outside the formal postsecondary education system, do not participate in federal student aid and reporting…

The Indiana Workforce Proficiency Panel was established to work with the business, labor, and education sectors to identify a common set of essential skills and technical proficiencies for major occupational areas. The process used by the Panel for setting state standards employs five steps, involving three meetings of a State Technical Committee…

Increased global competition and rapidly changing labor markets are providing a new imperative for relevance and quality assurance in education. This imperative is driving a consensus around the need for standards that link the content of education and training to the demands of the workplace. The national framework for improving relevance and…

This document contains minutes of the fifth meeting of the National Advisory Commission on Work-Based Learning. The meeting's stated objective was to produce a set of specific action steps for the U.S. Department of Labor to promote work-based learning. A summary of introductory remarks (Jack MacAllister) is followed by a description of the…