Blog Posts

2025

The Importance of Credentialing in Environmental Health

December 3, 2025

Aligning Career Pathways to Employer Needs and Changing Policy: Houston City College’s Approach to Credentials of Value in Texas

As Texas moves forward with the implementation of House Bill 8 (HB8), community colleges are reimagining their role in preparing students for high‑demand careers while ensuring programs lead to measurable economic mobility. At Houston City College (HCC), this shift has been more than a compliance exercise—it has become a strategic framework for aligning career pathways with employer needs, ensuring that every credential earned represents labor market value and supports the state’s broader goals for student success and workforce readiness.

Published by: Terryn Batiste, MPA, Workforce Research & Development, Houston City College

November 12, 2025

The Importance of Credentialing in Environmental Health

Environmental public health (EPH) professionals protect communities through overseeing and regulating safe food, water, housing, and environments. But the workforce is under strain: retirements, turnover, inconsistent entry pathways, and growing environmental threats make the system fragile. Without shared standards of competence, services are uneven across jurisdictions. Credentialing offers a solution by setting clear, validated expectations, building trust, and providing defensible staffing and training standards

Published by: Eileen Neison and Rance Baker, National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), in partnership with Workcred

October 29, 2025

A Cybersecurity Accreditation Model: Building the Bridge to a Stronger Cybersecurity Workforce

As technology continues to evolve, so does the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals who can protect our infrastructure. Yet despite this growing demand, many cybersecurity jobs are unfilled. Reports from Cyberseek cite over half a million job openings in cybersecurity in the U.S. alone.

Published by: Talisa Jackson, Ph.D., Senior Manager, Workcred

October 22, 2025

Reimagining Higher Education: The Power of Building New Pathways to Success

The joint Workcred, Higher Learning Commission, and League for Innovation in the Community College Certification + Degree (C+D) pathway project fostered a fundamental shift in higher education approaches. While industry credentials and degrees have historically coexisted as separate options, embedding these credentials within degree pathways represents a powerful innovation.

Published by: Jennifer E. Dale, Ph.D., Community College of Aurora

October 15, 2025

How Working with Students Shaped Certification Success at Kirkwood Community College

Kirkwood Community College (Kirkwood) partnered with Workcred, the Higher Learning Commission, and the League for Innovation in the Community College on the certification + degree (C+D) pathways project to align industry certifications with associate degree programs.

Published by: Gary Vogt, Kirkwood Community College

October 8, 2025

Beyond the Degree: How Delta College is Shortening the Path to IT Careers with Industry Credentials

In the Great Lakes Bay Region of Michigan, the demand for highly skilled IT and cybersecurity professionals is greater than ever. As institutions continue to investigate new ways to grow their regional talent pipelines, Delta College and three other institutions partnered with Workcred, the Higher Learning Commission, and the League for Innovation in the Community College to explore various ways to align industry credentials with degrees, and shorten the length of time it takes students to earn a credential.

Published by: Sue Roche, and Kevin Wyzkiewicz, Delta College

October 1, 2025

Advancing IT Careers: How Moraine Valley Community College Aligned Its Curriculum with Microsoft Azure Certification

Cloud technologies have dramatically transformed operational and innovation strategies across industries, and Moraine Valley Community College (Moraine Valley) recognized both the urgency and opportunity for its students to master these skills. Partnering with Workcred, the Higher Learning Commission, and the League for Innovation in the Community College, Moraine Valley pioneered a curriculum overhaul to prepare students to become certification-ready for Microsoft Azure, one of the most in-demand platforms in the IT ecosystem.

Published by: Kevin Vaccaro, Moraine Valley Community College; and Justin Valentino, Moraine Valley Community College

September 24, 2025

Certifications and Degrees: Lessons from a Pathways Pilot

The world of work is changing fast—and community colleges are uniquely positioned to meet the challenge. Traditional degree programs remain vital, but employers are increasingly seeking a blend of deep academic knowledge, strong soft skills, and validated industry-recognized competencies. Students, too, are asking for more flexible, career-aligned options.

Published by: League for Innovation in the Community College

September 17, 2025

Certifications and Degrees: Lessons from a Pathways Pilot

As the project on Certification + Degree (C+D) Pathways comes to a close, one thing is clear: removing the divide between academic degrees and industry certifications is a promising practice that leads to opportunity. Students, employers, and institutions alike benefit when the two are integrated. Over the course of this work, we have seen the potential of C+D pathways to transform student outcomes and strengthen employer partnerships. This reflection looks at what we learned, why it matters, and where we go from here.

Published by: Karen Elzey, Associate Executive Director, Workcred

September 10, 2025

Strengthening Partnerships Between Community Colleges and Certification Bodies

There are a growing number of credentials in the marketplace including degrees, certificates, certifications, microcredentials, and licenses. Each is designed to fulfill a different purpose. For example, certifications are third-party, independent assessments of a minimum level of competency for an occupation.

Published by: Karen Elzey, Associate Executive Director, Workcred

August 25, 2025

From Signals to Selection: Helping Employers Identify Talent with Skills-Based Hiring

In today’s labor market, employers face a persistent challenge: effectively identifying candidates with the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) necessary to succeed in their organizations. Despite advances in hiring technology and the growing use of assessment tools, many companies still rely on “overstuffed job postings” that attempt to capture every possible requirement.

Published by: By Terry Vaughan III, Workcred; Isabel Cardenas-Navia, Workcred

July 15, 2025

Quality Credentials in Emergency Medical Services: Safeguarding the Public Through Certification

When disasters strike, emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians are among the first to respond. Whether stabilizing a patient at the scene of an accident or administering life-saving care in the back of an ambulance, their work is critical. Behind this high-stakes responsibility is a foundation of training, assessment, continued competency, and trust, much of which is made possible through high-quality, third-party certification.

Published by: Workcred and National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians

March 4, 2025

The Importance of Quality Credentials in Supporting Public Health in Food Safety

The role of credentials in the United States economy and workplace may be most visible in job postings or when individuals earn new credentials. However, credentials support multiple functions in our society and economy. In particular, quality certifications play an important role in ensuring the public good by signaling that their holders have the knowledge, prerequisites, and competencies to perform in an occupation.

Published by: Workcred and National Restaurant Association/ServSafe

2024

January 16, 2024

Standards – A Foundational Component of Quality Credentials

In today’s competitive job market, people from all areas of the workforce are familiar with certificates, certifications, and workplace learning—from students and employees who wish to further their careers, to employers seeking workers with specific skills. Critically, however, they often lack information on how to distinguish quality programs from those of lesser value.

Published by: Roy Swift, Executive Director, Workcred

2023

September 28, 2023

Non-degree Credentials in Engineering: Exemplifying the Promises and Challenges for All Credentials

There is surging interest in the development and use of non-degree credentials—such as certifications, certificates, and licenses—in the education and workforce communities, with a significant focus on understanding the value and use of these credentials. One significant challenge when tackling the questions that arise around this topic is the variety of existing credentials.

Published by: Isabel Cardenas-Navia, Senior Director of Research, Workcred

August 2, 2023

More Worker-Centered Research Needed

Workcred has published a new report examining the value of credentials and their use in the manufacturing sector: Examining the Return on Investment of Manufacturing Credentials. The report is a result of a grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and reflects the views of individuals who work in the small- and medium-sized facilities that are a part of NIST’s national network of MEP Centers.

Published by: Isabel Cardenas-Navia, Workcred

May 11, 2023

Key Factors to Consider When Developing Microcredentials

Microcredentials are used by higher education institutions for multiple purposes that include adding knowledge, skills, or competencies that complement a major, to providing a pathway to certificate or degree programs. Though they vary significantly in their uses, they can provide benefits to learners, universities, and employers alike.

Published by: Karen Elzey, Workcred

2022

December 12, 2022

Unlocking the Power of Certifications

With the increasing focus on competencies and skills-based hiring, why are certifications frequently left out of those conversations? After all, one of the strengths of certifications is the process that is used to identify and assess occupational knowledge and skills.

Published by: Workcred staff

November 1, 2022

Opening Doors to Different Pathways in Education: Roy Swift Talks Certifications with Expert Series Host

In 2021, Workcred joined the broadcast realm, partnering with RVN Television’s Morning Coffee Expert Series to bring greater clarity to the public on wide-ranging credentialing and workforce topics. One year later, Workcred’s executive director, Roy Swift, Ph.D., sat down with RVN Television’s talk show host and producer, Joe Asumendi, to assess the series and plans for the future.

Published by: Workcred staff

October 19, 2022

The Power of Systems Thinking to Understand the Total Impact of Credentialing Decisions

The United States credentialing system is very complex, involving many types of organizations and governmental agencies. Very few credentialing issuers fully understand how their actions may impact other credentialing issuers. For example, higher education institutions typically develop credentials through processes that are fully controlled by institutional faculty and administrators, who may not consider how their credentials relate to credentials issued by other organizations.

Published by: Workcred staff

September 13, 2022

Four Advantages of Certifications as Alternative Credentials

Obtaining new credentials is a common strategy for workers looking to reskill in advance of a career change or re-employment following a layoff. Increasingly, individuals are seeking credentials, such as certificates, certifications, and badges, in order to maximize their marketability to employers or advance within their current position.

Published by: Workcred staff

July 20, 2022

The Link Between Recertification and Competency: More Evidence Needed

One key distinction between a certification and other credentials is its ability to signal continued competence in a profession, making it the only credential that indicates its holders’ commitments to lifelong learning. This distinction is due to the recertification requirements which individuals must fulfill to maintain their certifications. However, there is significant variation in how different professions, and how different certification bodies even within the same profession, decide to handle recertification.

Published by: Kyle Albert, GWIPP

June 22, 2022

Fact or Fiction? Five Myths about Certificates

Certificates play a vital role in today’s skills-based economy, signaling to employers the learning outcomes that potential hires have achieved, and allowing job seekers to gain specific skills and knowledge to bolster their progress on a desired career path. In spite of their growing visibility—in 2020 there were 318,792 unique certificates, which is an increase of 20.7 percent since 2019 (Credential Engine, Counting U.S. postsecondary and secondary credentials, 2021)—many misconceptions about certificates persist among employers and employees alike.

Published by: Workcred staff

May 17, 2022

How Much Do You Know About Certifications?

In the world of competencies and credentials—certificates, certifications, degrees, badges, and licenses—there are a lot of details and nuances that can be overwhelming. Perhaps the most confusion surrounds the differences between certifications and certificates—two types of credentials that individuals can pursue to further their careers, each with distinct requirements, indications, and specifications.

Published by: Workcred staff

May 3, 2022

Certifications Offer Value to Learners and Employers

As the pandemic recedes, the emerging global marketplace is characterized by a shortage of talent to fill rapidly changing skills needs. In this market, employers are seeking efficiencies in the process for recruiting and vetting qualified talent and are looking for signals that jobseekers possess needed skills and competencies enabling them to perform on the job. Workers and learners are opting for shorter-term credentials over degrees to gain the skills they need in pursuit of satisfying employment.

Published by: Corporation for a Skilled Workforce

April 13, 2022

Certification Bodies Need Incentives to Collect & Share High-Quality Data

Workcred’s issue briefs on certification pathways, quality assurance, recertification, and policy/operational recommendations focused on different aspects of certifications. One commonality among the publications was that they all highlighted the need for additional data to better understand certifications. Recommendations for data in these briefs were wide-ranging: from data to better support recertification activities to employment outcomes data. While there are multiple challenges to collecting and sharing data on certifications, one of the biggest is gaining the cooperation and trust of certification bodies to collect and share data.

Published by: Workcred staff

March 28, 2022

The Reality and Potential of Certifications

A new series of reports co-published by Workcred, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, and the George Washington Institute of Public Policy serve as a resource to help policymakers, practitioners, employers, and funders better understand the characteristics of certifications, and their potential to help people enter the labor market, obtain a career goal, or reskill for a new career.

Published by: Workcred staff

February 25, 2022

The Importance of Collaboration for Certifications

Workcred has developed a set of case studies that reveal just how powerful collaboration is to certifications. In fact, collaboration among key stakeholders can have a positive and long-term impact on credentials and workforce development, as outlined in each of the case studies showcased in this series. Each study also describes the purpose and need of the credential, the partners involved, and the challenges and lessons learned from using a collaborative model.

Published by: Workcred staff

February 17, 2022

Are Pandemic-Related Changes Negatively Affecting the Quality of Credentials?

For more than 50 years, the credentialing industry has operated under accepted standards for the development and ongoing maintenance of credentials to help ensure the validity and reliability of the examinations and the programs they represent. During the last two years in particular, many changes and sometimes shortcuts have been made in the credentialing industry, specifically in certification and licensure, in response to the 2020-2022 COVID-19 international pandemic.

Published by: Workcred staff and Professional Testing, Inc.

January 20, 2022

How are Certifications Supported by Standards

New video series, Standardization and Workforce Credentials, sheds light on the role of voluntary standards in supporting quality certifications for the U.S. workforce. Featuring insights from credentialing experts, the series highlights how certifications that meet standards gain credibility with industry and have been proven as effective in the workplace.

Published by: Workcred staff

2021

August 18, 2021

More Than a Digital Transcript: Social and Organizational Implications of LERs

A recent publication in Issues in Science and Technology – “Everything You’ve Ever Learned,” co-authored by Workcred’s Isabel Cardenas-Navia and New America’s Shalin Jyotishi – explores Learning and Employment Records (LERs), digital records detailing a person’s education, training, and work experience that are verified through a distributed system similar to blockchain. The article explores how LERs offer a promising solution to the challenge of capturing and communicating the skills of individual workers to a wide selection of potential employers.

Published by: Workcred staff

March 10, 2021

Variable Impacts of New Credentials for the Older Worker

Several factors may deter older workers (age 50+) from pursuing training. Some might question the return on investment for new skills and credentials as one approaches traditional retirement ages. Others likely feel extreme anxiety about reentering the classroom after decades away from educational institutions.

Published by: Workcred staff

January 15, 2021

Education & Training Support to Prepare for Certifications

Certification bodies provide broad access to materials, education, and/or training for certification exam preparation, ranging from endorsed curriculum delivered by postsecondary higher education institutions to self-study guide to online courses. Nearly 70% of certification bodies provide study guides to all individuals seeking their certifications, and work with a wide variety of education and training providers.

Published by: Workcred staff

January 13, 2021

Demand For Certifications Increasing During Pandemic

Survey data showing that demand for certifications is increasing due to the pandemic is consistent with what is seen with other credentials. This data strongly suggests that individuals and employers see certifications as a pathway to new and/or continued employment. The survey also showed that certification bodies are working to develop micro-certifications and specializations in certifications. This may reflect an emerging trend toward micro-credentialing that has emerged in postsecondary education.

Published by: Workcred staff

January 11, 2021

Certification Bodies are Well-Positioned to Link Data and Deepen Understanding of ROI of Certifications

Survey data shows that certification bodies are ready to participate in linking their administrative data with other administrative data, in terms of already collecting data or being willing to collect additional data needed for accurate data matching.

Published by: Workcred staff

2020

December 14, 2020

Certifications Lead to Meaningful Careers During Economic Recovery and Beyond

Certifications have the potential to be useful tools in addressing re-employment, re-deployment, and re-education challenges that workers face in the current labor market.

Published by: Workcred staff

December 10, 2020

Understanding Certifications

Enormous economic shifts predating and accelerated by the current worldwide pandemic caused by COVID-19 — and the growing awakening to racial inequities in the U.S. — are creating a labor market in which the use of certifications has the potential to grow significantly. But what exactly is a certification? And how does it differ from other types of credentials?

Published by: Workcred staff

December 4, 2020

Embedding Certifications Into Bachelor’s Degree

There is a lack of understanding in the workforce of the different types of credentials and how they can work together to improve student success and employability outcomes. Certifications can be used to enhance a college education with specific skills needed by employers, resulting in students earning a certification while pursuing their degree or earning a certification at the end of their degree program, achieving a more comprehensive education.

Published by: Workcred staff

2018

August 22, 2018

Are Employers Using Credentials to the Fullest?: New Manufacturing Report Provides Insights?

Published by: the Committee for Economic Development of the Conference Board

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