There are more than 4,000 credentialing bodies nationwide that offer thousands of different industry-recognized credentials across sectors, making it difficult for states that have encouraged the growth of industry-recognized credentials to determine which ones to prioritize to scale attainment. This report from Education Strategy Group, Advance CTE and Council of Chief State School Officers provides a roadmap for how states can identify which credentials have labor market value and approaches to improve credential attainment and reporting. This report, a product of year-long engagement with a work group of state and national leaders from K-12, higher education, and industry, covers common barriers, recommended strategies and opportunities to advance learner attainment of industry recognized credentials with marketplace value. The report recommends that states focus on three priorities:
- Identifying high-value credentials,
- Incentivizing attainment of high-value credentials, and
- Collecting and reporting credential attainment data.
This report was developed through the New Skills for Youth initiative, a partnership of the Council of Chief State School Officers, Advance CTE and Education Strategy Group, generously funded by JPMorgan Chase & Co.
