Since its launch in 2014, Workcred, an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) affiliate, continues to expand its reach as it upholds its mission to strengthen workforce quality by
improving the credentialing system, ensuring its ongoing relevance, and preparing employers, workers, educators, and governments to use it effectively.
Workcred is proud of all it has accomplished during its first five years - from meaningful
partnerships and informative conferences to comprehensive reports and timely publications - that help educate stakeholders in an ongoing effort to create a more integrated, effective, and quality-driven workforce credentialing system.
Understanding Credential Quality
With the guidance of Roy Swift, Ph.D., the organization's executive director, Workcred's growing staff regularly highlights how quality is a differentiator of credentials in the workforce. In a first-of-its kind national research study,
Workcred examined the manufacturing sector in its 2018 report, Examining the Quality, Market Value, and Effectiveness of Manufacturing Credentials in the United States.
The report, funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), examines how credentials are currently used in hiring and retention practices, and how credentialing can be improved to advance
the manufacturing industry.
Through its federal training sessions, including Building a Federal Workforce through Quality Credentialing (2017) and
Building a 21st Century Federal Workforce through Dynamic Competency-Based Credentialing (2016),
Workcred has been successful in preparing and offering key insights for federal employees involved in managing, leading, or creating credentialing programs, including chief learning officers, training officers, and HR professionals.
Furthermore, thanks to a 2018 grant from Lumina Foundation, Workcred has partnered with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) to facilitate
coordination between universities and certification bodies to bolster student success and career outcomes through a series of focused convenings across the nation. This year, Workcred, APLU, and UPCEA have held a convening focused on health care,
and one on cybersecurity, including opportunities for cross-cutting skills, such as project management and human resources, to look at ways in which related certifications can be integrated within degrees. Plans are under way to uncover further
opportunities for students in the liberal arts, manufacturing, and retail/hospitality sectors through early 2020.
Workcred also continues to partner with the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) and Jobs for the Future (JFF) under a U.S.
Department of Labor grant to help young adults recently released from incarceration to gain skills, quality credentials, and work experience needed for a successful transition.
"We are thrilled to reflect on five years of Workcred accomplishments," said Dr. Swift.
"Especially as workforce trends indicate vast opportunities for skill-based-hiring, we look forward to strengthening our impact of collaborative work to educate the marketplace about the ever-growing value of quality credentials."
Shaping the Future of Work
On November 7, Workcred, along with ANSI, will host, Building an Effective Workforce for the Future, the first of its
kind workforce conference at World Standards Week 2019 in Washington, DC. Workcred will facilitate and engage nationally-renowned workforce and industry experts in conversation with attendees about the
future world of work. Interactive panel discussions will include segments on "Upskilling, Reskilling, and Retraining Today's Workforce"and "New Credentials for the Future Workforce,"to address new methods and types of credentials - from skills-based hiring,
to badging, and online education - that are disrupting traditional models of learning.
To better understand and
navigate the credentialing system, visit Workcred's Knowledge Center page and view the video,
An Introduction to Workcred.
Read more about Workcred on its website: Workcred.org
Building an Effective Workforce for the Future is part of ANSI's World Standards Week 2019. To learn about and register for other World Standards Week events, visit www.ansi.org/wsweek.
