Workcred's associate executive director, Karen Elzey, will join expert speakers during the National Governors Association (NGA) Educate for Opportunity meeting in St. Louis to highlight Workcred's partnership aimed at connecting industry certifications and degrees. The NGA event will highlight research and resources that support state creation of integrated adult education systems that respond to state workforce and consumer needs.
About Workcred's Session: Connecting Industry Certifications and Degrees
Students enrolled in four-year universities have few opportunities to earn industry and professional-awarded certifications with labor market value as they pursue their undergraduate degrees. Supported by a grant from Lumina Foundation, Workcred's partnership with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU), and the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), is exploring how students can earn both degrees and certificationswith marketable valueas part of their four-year degree program.
On September 19, 2019, Elzey will join representatives from APLU and UPCEA in an interactive panel discussion to offer insights about their action plan to improve educational opportunities. By early 2020, the partners will have hosted five national convenings, bringing certification bodies and universities together to identify opportunities to connect four-year degrees and certifications in ways that result in stronger credential pathways.
The convenings are honing in on certifications and degrees related to several specific industry sectors and topics, such as health care, cybersecurity, liberal arts, manufacturing, and retail/hospitality. A key priority is to gain insights on the knowledge that universities and certification bodies have of each other, and identify opportunities to strengthen relationships between the two groups.
Find out more about the Educate for Opportunity project, and catch up on Workcred's latest news.
About Workcred
Formed in 2014, Workcred is an affiliate of ANSI whose mission is to strengthen workforce quality by improving the credentialing system, ensuring its ongoing relevance, and preparing employers, workers, educators, and governments to use it effectively. Workcred's vision is a labor market that relies on the relevance, quality, and value of workforce credentials for opportunities, growth, and development. Learn more at www.workcred.org.
About Lumina Foundation
Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. The foundation envisions a system that is easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nation's need for talent through a broad range of credentials. Lumina's goal is to prepare people for informed citizenship and for success in a global economy.