Advancing Credentials


The expansion of career pathways across the country provides opportunities for employers with common workforce challenges to partner with community colleges to create certificate and degree programs that address their collective talent development needs. The Advancing Credentials through Career Pathways initiative advocates an environment in which actively engaged employers work in co-leadership roles with educators to design career pathways that are comprised of industry-validated stackable credentials. Pathways are delivered through flexible systems that provide options for working students and offer multiple exit points aligned to employment opportunities.

The Advancing Credentials through Career Pathways Framework offers an industry-informed career pathways structure with a continuous feedback loop. The Framework helps education and industry partners collaborate on the development of seamless 9-16 pathways for their communities. The Framework’s foci include:

  1. Strategic employer engagement based on the Business & Industry Leadership Team (BILT) model
  2. Career pathway programs built on industry-validated stackable credentials
  3. Credit for Prior Learning and Non-credit/Credit Integration to support and accelerate student completion of college credentials

Institutions can receive technical assistance from CORD to help their community achieve goals in each focus area of the Framework. To learn how your college can benefit from the Advancing Credentials through Career Pathways Framework contact Hope Cotner or Debbie Davidson.

Resources:
Employer Engagement Toolkit

Past cohort members include: