Building Inclusive, Equitable and Responsive Career Pathways​

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The evaluation team’s analysis of five years of WIOA Title I data indicated that enrollees who received training services, as opposed to other types of services, were significantly more likely to obtain employment, and to earn higher wages in that employment.

This guide provides information for companies, employers, labor, apprenticeship sponsors, educators, workforce professionals, intermediaries, and community-based organizations on using federal funds and resources to support apprenticeship.

The purpose of ACE-UP is to design and uplift strategies colleges can employ to help their industry partners create more inclusive workplace environments leading to worker retention, advancement, and economic success.

Provide an organizing construct for users of the Alabama Skill-Based Job Description Generator to easily search for, locate, and select competencies needed to build competency/skill-based job descriptions.​

Credential As You Go Playbooks are “how-to” guides to provide topics, policies and practices that support developing an incremental credentialing system.

This report provides an overview of the recertification process, how it varies among certifications, the extent to which it achieves its stated purposes, and recommendations for improvements. Given that recertifications (also referred to as maintenance, renewal, or continuing competency) can help protect the public by ensuring holders have up-to-date knowledge and skills, the research asserts that understanding the recertification process will better enable the attainment and maintenance of certifications.

This report discusses how the surge of new, non-degree credentials poses a challenge for individuals when determining credential quality and making decisions about how to value them. The authors examine how and why quality assurance is particularly important for certifications. Additionally, research based on interviews with individuals at certification bodies reveals a broad consensus by the certification community that quality certifications are those that align with standards for personnel certifications, among other findings.

This report examines the characteristics of quality certifications and how they can be utilized as valuable tools for increasing the economic mobility of workers and expanding the talent pool for employers. The research supports a call for improved data collection and research on certifications and their outcomes, increased commitment to building a more interconnected credentialing system, and a greater role for employers in transforming this system.

This report is intended as a primer to help policymakers and practitioners navigate the complex and little understood landscape of certifications. The report highlights how individuals who earn certifications and licenses fare better in the labor market at a time when enormous economic shifts predating and accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic created a challenging job market. The report also examines how some certifications can offer short-term pathways to employment, a valuable option for working adults and low-income populations.

The final report of the series summarizes key findings that emerged during the project and identifies topics that warrant further research. It also offers several recommendations, including that certification bodies should improve their internal processes and practices, and governments and employers should encourage wider reliance on certifications in hiring…