DEFINE…MEASURE…OPTIMIZE™™ Proprietary Restricted Information: Do not copy, cite, or distribute Dave Wilcox Global Skills Exchange Corp. Alexandria, Virginia

DEFINE…MEASURE…OPTIMIZE™™ Proprietary Restricted Information: Do not copy, cite, or distribute WHAT ARE CREDENTIALS?  Educational degrees and certificates  Professional and industry certifications  Apprenticeship certificates  Digital badges and other micro-credentials  Licenses  New forms likely to be invented 2

DEFINE…MEASURE…OPTIMIZE™™ Proprietary Restricted Information: Do not copy, cite, or distribute WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? Fragmented, multi-layered, complex “system” that doesn’t work well for employers, individuals or educators. Highly diverse and decentralized Many actors Policies struggle to keep up with new developments Many different types of credentials: Different purposes Different quality assurance Different metrics Credentialing Marketplace  Range of students served and range of needs for credentials is greater than ever.  Employers have trouble finding people with the skills they need.  Many students lack clear pathways to credentials  People receive education and training from an array of providers, which adds to the confusion of what credentials mean and how they connect. 3

DEFINE…MEASURE…OPTIMIZE™™ Proprietary Restricted Information: Do not copy, cite, or distribute KEY THEMES  Building trust in the assessment and validation of competencies represented by different kinds of credentials  Improving portability of credentials within education, within labor markets and across both  Informing learner decision-making about credentials  Assuring the labor market relevance of credentials  Informing employer decision-making about credentials 4

DEFINE…MEASURE…OPTIMIZE™™ Proprietary Restricted Information: Do not copy, cite, or distribute FROM DIALOGUE TO ACTION National Dialogue  Website: connectingcredentials.org  E- conversations  National Summit  Right Skills--AACC 5

DEFINE…MEASURE…OPTIMIZE™™ Proprietary Restricted Information: Do not copy, cite, or distribute VISION – COMPREHENSIVE LERNER RECORD6

DEFINE…MEASURE…OPTIMIZE™™ Proprietary Restricted Information: Do not copy, cite, or distribute CREDENTIAL REGISTRY – CREDENTIAL TRANSPARENCY INITIATIVE7  Credential registry  Public  Linked data  Quality assurance

DEFINE…MEASURE…OPTIMIZE™™ Proprietary Restricted Information: Do not copy, cite, or distribute  Focus on Competencies----That is what the employer and the learner care about  Promote bundling and stacking—forward or backward or laterally  Think about---Continuing Competence?  Quality is an end to end matter-from concept to design to execution to use KEY ISSUES 8