In the evolving landscape of higher education and workforce development, microcredentials are an essential tool for preparing learners to succeed. But for these short-term credentials to offer real value, they must be developed in partnership with faculty and employers to address workforce needs. Continuing education and workforce development professionals play a pivotal role in bringing these groups together while providing critical insights into the labor market data that drives credential development.
At SUNY Broome Community College, we’ve found that strong, sustainable microcredential strategies are bridging traditional academic structures with industry-driven, responsive programming. This approach requires thoughtful collaboration and a shared commitment to innovation.
A Microcredential Is Not Just a Short Course
One of the most important principles we’ve adopted is that a microcredential must be meaningful on its own and support a student’s continued education to earn a certificate or degree. That means two things:
1. Standalone value: A student who earns a microcredential should walk away with a focused skill set and credentials they can immediately apply in the workforce, whether or not they continue on to a degree program.
2. Pathway integration: That same microcredential should fit seamlessly into a certificate or degree program, reducing duplication and encouraging continued learning.
At SUNY Broome, our Clinical Patient Care and Healthcare Fundamentals microcredentials exemplifies this dual value. Developed in collaboration with regional healthcare employers, the curricula address urgent workforce needs for entry-level healthcare staff. They provide training in essential skills like vital signs, infection control and patient communication, and they include preparation for key industry certifications.
The program was designed with clear employer input and closely aligns with our health sciences degree pathway. Students who complete the microcredential not only have an employment-ready credential but credit that articulates directly into a two-year degree program.
Similarly, our childcare microcredentials help students progress toward earning a nationally recognized Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. These microcredentials are stackable, designed in partnership with early childhood educators and employers, and embedded within our education program offerings. They meet immediate workforce needs in the childcare sector while creating a pipeline into higher-level credentials and degrees.
Faculty as Creators
Faculty are the foundation of any microcredential strategy. Their subject matter expertise ensures academic quality, and their involvement is critical for integration into existing degree programs.
Faculty become champions and see the impact on students, the value to employers and the opportunity to innovate within their discipline.
Employers as Partners, Not Just Consumers
Too often, industry is brought in at the end of the curriculum design process. At SUNY Broome, we work to engage employers from the beginning, ensuring their needs help shape programs from inception to implementation.
In the case of our Lineworker Training Program, NYSEG and other employers played an instrumental role. They supported curriculum development, provided subject matter experts to serve as instructors, lent equipment and offered access to training facilities and internships. Their engagement gave the program credibility and ensured students were prepared with the right technical and safety skills to be competitive in the job market.
Additionally, SUNY Broome faculty incorporated employer feedback to integrate credit-bearing coursework into the noncredit training. This integration allows students who complete the program to retroactively earn academic credit if they choose to pursue a degree.
Infrastructure that Enables Innovation
At SUNY Broome, we’ve established two cross-functional groups to guide and grow our work: the Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) Workgroup and the Microcredential Workgroup, both facilitated by the Workforce Development division. This infrastructure is key to sustaining our work.
These cross-functional groups are composed of faculty and staff from academic departments, admissions, registrar, advising, student support services and institutional effectiveness. The goal is to align systems, streamline policies and ensure microcredentials and prior learning assessments are both meaningful and accessible.
This structured collaboration allows us to break down operational silos and refine processes, so learners can take advantage of both opportunities.
The CPL team is working to make sure students can earn credit not just through coursework but through relevant work experience, military service or industry certifications—often the same credentials embedded in our microcredential programs.
Historically, noncredit and credit programming have operated in parallel with separate funding streams, processes and stakeholders. But in today’s environment, where learners and employers alike demand rapid, relevant training, we cannot afford this disconnect. SUNY Broome has found success in building new programs through this integration.
Toward a Culture of Integration
A unified microcredential strategy isn’t just about what we build; it’s about how we work. At SUNY Broome, we foster integration across continuing education, academic departments and industry partners.
At its best, a microcredential strategy doesn’t require choosing between credit or noncredit, workforce or academia. It blends them. Continuing education leaders are uniquely positioned to act as translators and bridge builders between these worlds.
By engaging faculty as creators, employers as partners and staff as collaborators, we can design microcredentials that are academically meaningful, industry-validated and institutionally sustainable. At SUNY Broome, this approach has helped us deliver real opportunities to learners, whether they’re stepping into a new career, upskilling for advancement or pursuing a degree at their own.
It’s not easy work. But it’s necessary—and it’s possible when we lead with collaboration.
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