 |
|
States Look Beyond Academic Degrees to Meet Workforce
Needs
Recent high school and college graduates may find that they need another
credential to get a job: a Career Readiness Certificate (CRC). Deployed in 23 states thus far, the CRC is an assessment-based
credential that evaluates professional competencies as opposed to
academic knowledge. Higher education institutions and employers
increasingly are using the portable credential to promote workforce
development initiatives in high-demand industries at local and statewide
levels. The National Association of Manufacturers is using ACT's National Career Readiness Certificate system,
essentially the same as a CRC, to provide career pathways in the
manufacturing industry and connect workers to postsecondary education.
The American Association of Community Colleges has endorsed the National Career Readiness Credential
and is using it as a screening and diagnostic tool for incoming students
as well as an enhancement to existing credentials in career and
technical programs. An implementation guide for CRCs has been developed by
the National
Organization for Career Credentialing, which developed the original
credential model in Virginia in 2004.
For more articles on higher education & workforce development,
visit the CenterPoint
Archives.
|
|
|
Online Education Hits Home for Adult Workers
Online education and training programs for low-wage, low-skill workers
aim to bridge the digital and postsecondary educational divide for
historically disadvantaged groups. A recent report by the Rutgers Center for
Women and Work highlights several successful online programs to help
working adults get postsecondary credentials and degrees. In New Jersey,
an online educational pilot program for single, working
mothers—centralized through the Career One-Stop system—increased annual wages
for participants by an average of 14 percent and helped 15 women advance
to postsecondary education. In Texas, the Workforce Solutions Online Learning Community is a
pilot program that helped 84 percent of participants earn higher wages
and stop receiving public assistance. Both programs used an in-home learning system that provides computers and
access to individualized online training for participants. Other states
in the report with online educational initiatives targeting low-income
adults include Massachusetts, Georgia, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, the
District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, South Carolina, and
Pennsylvania.
For more promising practices in online education for adult learners,
visit First
Stop, ACE's online clearinghouse for lifelong learning policies
and practices.
|
