My passion for and belief in the need for verified, interoperable learning and employment records (LERs) is personal. Having lived in four countries—U.S., Ghana, Panama and Canada—and five U.S. states—South Dakota (four times), Minnesota, Colorado, California (three times) and Washington (three times)—it would have saved me so much time and money to have my verified, digital, interoperable credentials located in one web-based platform to use with the 100+ forms I have completed over the years.
LERs have the capacity to empower individuals to easily access and share their own credentials to unlock meaningful education and employment opportunities. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reporting that there are now 41.9 million people in the U.S. with some college, no credential only reinforces the individual need for credential ownership. All of us should have some verified, electronic method of relaying, at a minimum, the learning we have achieved even or especially if a degree is not awarded. Additionally, defining the correlated skill sets students obtain with their education and employment would be another individual asset and would benefit employers seeking to fill open positions and find growth opportunities for current employees.
Progress with multistate credential recognition in certain fields like nursing has happened in the U.S., with policy and technology both playing an important role. However, within K-12 education, licensed educators have to pay and take exams for a teaching license in each state while employers contact each state education office for certification verification. Education is not alone in this workforce challenge. The latest technology aims to empower each of us to own our verified credentials (i.e., driver’s license, certifications, passport, immunizations, etc.), align skill sets to credentials and access best-fit employment opportunities more easily.
The implementation of digital credentials and digital wallets is happening across our nation through initiatives like the National Governors Association Skills-Driven State Community of Practice and the AgriProspects Workforce Development Network. AgriProspects is a five-year, USDA NIFA-funded program elevating the national Cooperative Extension System’s (CES) efforts with adult agricultural workforce development, notes program manager Dr. Jason Weigle. Weigle shared that the first round of their mini-grant program excelled well beyond their expectations, with 55 applications requesting nearly $5 million to support adult workforce development across the country. A long-range goal of AgriProspects is developing an LER and digital wallet ecosystem that captures the skills learners attain through CES programming from age 8 to 88 with both youth and adult informal education.
Another major player in the LER ecosystem is SkillsFWD. The seven SkillsFWD grantees are AccelerateMT, Alabama Talent Triad, Arizona State University, CO Workforce Development Council (ColoradoFWD), ASPYR in central Ohio, Indiana Commission for Higher Education/Western Governors University and Pittsburgh Regional Upskilling Alliance (CAEL). These grantees were selected from an applicant pool of 46 proposals totaling $65 million requested funding. SkillsFWD grantees have committed to developing interoperable technology that allows users to move their credentials across platforms. Their projects are connecting high school and postsecondary students, job applicants, employees and employers from various employment sectors to an LER ecosystem through a variety of innovative, collaborative technology vendors. As of September 3, 2024, these grantees reported issuing over 7,325,000 self-attestation and over 114,000 credential records to 167,177 learners/earners with 304 employers registered through their LER projects. These numbers are early indicators of this initiative’s promise.
Dawn Karber, Executive Director of SkillsFWD, highlights how LERs are positioned to mitigate the risk of AI-developed resumes by immediately verifying skills and credentials. She also notes that LERs are paving the way for businesses to have greater transparency into candidates prior to applying as well as viability of skill and competency gaps across all employees, which can support workforce planning, professional development and pathway alignment. This evolution is incredibly important when AI-generated job applications are being readily submitted, increasing the time and cost related to credential verification.
According to IBIS World, there were over 1,135 background check services businesses in the U.S. in 2023. Imagine how much less time and money would be spent on the verification process if the U.S. had a national system that verified digital credentials through interoperable wallets. Internally, government systems in Australia, Turkey and Ukraine are establishing national wallets, and the European Digital Identity Wallet is a multinational resource for its member countries. Consider how incredible it would be for our refugee and immigrant populations to have their LERs with them when they move to another community. And when you travel or move to another state or country, your credentials are already verified and readily available!
When we look at the possibilities that interoperable digital, verified credentials and wallets can provide learners/earners, job applicants and employers, all workforce development stakeholders will benefit as the LER ecosystem expands and connects.
You Might Also Like
