The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), in partnership with Jobs for the Future (JFF), has launched a project to help Governors’ offices and other senior state officials better connect skills-based training to skills-based hiring practices and to consider promising design elements of Learning and Employment Record (LER) systems.
Named the Skills-Driven State Community of Practice, this peer learning opportunity will support states in preparing their employers, education and workforce systems, data systems and policies to design and implement digital wallet and LER projects as an equitable economic mobility tool.
States engaged are at varying stages of preparation to execute this work with the intention of moving forward in their efforts build and strengthen state/regional LER systems.
Background
Governors and state leaders are concerned about the current labor shortage, occurring during a time when so many skilled workers are unemployed or underemployed. Skills-based approaches to hiring and recruiting can make pathways to good careers more broadly accessible to a wider segment of the workforce and reduce workforce inequities by focusing on what workers can do, not on the degrees or credentials they’ve earned. These approaches also provide learners and workers with multiple and diverse advancement pathways.
Technology plays a key role in allowing employers to embrace skills-based practices by enabling the adoption of IT systems that support digital learning and employment records (LERs), which are essentially digital resumes with secure, verifiable, and readily accessible records of people’s skills, educational experiences, and work histories. By using LERs, jobseekers may be able to maintain and share detailed, verified, and secure records of their skills, educational experiences, and work histories in readily accessible digital files. The standardized data language of LERs may also allow employers to uncover hidden talent that better matches their workforce needs. As a result states incorporating LER-friendly, skills-based practices may be able to further advance their economic development and workforce development goals.
Widespread adoption of skills-based practices and use of LERs depends on the development and implementation of interoperable, LER-friendly job seeker tools and talent engagement platforms, and IT systems such as applicant tracking systems. At the same time, state, and local policies should be aligned with programs and community-based efforts that support individual workers and learners to adopt as they navigate various career and education pathways.
Participating States
- Phase 1 Participating States
- Phase 2 Participating States
Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming
National LER Advisory Council – Leadership Board
The NGA Center has convened a group of national partners to advise and assist with the curation of the curriculum for the community of practice. NGA Center staff, along with a faculty of subject matter experts and practitioners, will provide ongoing support through expert-led webinars, collaborative peer learning, and targeted technical assistance to participating state teams throughout the project. The members of the Leadership Board are:
Brookings Institution
Annelies Goger
Business Roundtable
Dane Linn
Competency-Based Education Network
Amber Garrison Duncan
Credential Engine
Scott Cheney
Digital Promise
Christina Luke Luna
Goodwill Industries International
Wendi Copeland
Jobs for the Future
Michael Collins
Markle Foundation
Kymberly Lavigne-Hinkley
National Association of Workforce Boards
Ron Painter
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
Jason Tyszko
Resources for Skills-Driven States
Resources from the Advisory Council Leadership Board
- Brookings Policy Brief: A whole new world: Education meets the metaverse
- Brookings Policy Brief: The promises and perils of new technologies to improve education and employment opportunities
- Brookings White Paper: Learning and working in the digital age: Advancing opportunities and identifying the risks
- C-BEN Field Guide: A Field Guide to Reimagine a System-Wide Approach to CBE
- C-BEN Framework: Quality Framework for Competency-Based Education Programs
- C-BEN Hallmark Practices: Hallmark Practices in CBE Assessment
- C-BEN Report: Standardized Components for a Competency-Based Educational Record
- Credential Engine Policy Briefs for States: State Policy Briefs
- Credential Engine and State Partnerships: State Partnerships, Roadmap, Toolkit, and Success Stories
- Credential Engine Transparency Toolkit: Credential and Skill Transparency
- Digital Credential Adult Learning Website: Adult Learning Overview
- Digital Promise Article: Launching New Community of End-Users
- Digital Promise Report: Inclusive Design Principles for Learning and Employment Records: Co-Designing for Equity
- Digital Promise Video: Toward Inclusive Design: Informing the Development of Learning and Employment Records (LERs)
- JFF Article: Digital Learning Records Make the Job Market More Equitable and CBOs Can Help
- JFF Market Scan: Purpose-Built to Advance Equity: Expanding Opportunities in Tech for Black Americans
- JFF Market Scan: Building a Skills-Based Talent Marketplace
- Markle Foundation: Career Coaching Resources
- Markle Foundation: Virtual Career Coaching Skills Training
- Markle Foundation Video: Indiana Achievement Wallet Explained
- SHRM Foundation Guide: How to Address the Skills Gap
- SHRM Foundation Report: The Rise of Alternative Credentials in Hiring
- SHRM Foundation Report: Making Alternative Credentials Work: A New Strategy for HR Professionals
- T3 Innovation Network Interoperable Learner Record (ILR) Use Cases: ILR Priority Use Case Template
- T3 Innovation Network Learning and Employment Record (LER) Use Cases: T3 LER Hub
- T3 Innovation Network Video: Introduction to LERs
- T3 Innovation Network Website: T3 Network Hub – T3 Network Hub
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Initiative Website: JEDx: Jobs and Employment Data Exchange
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Initiative Website: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Talent Pipeline Management Initiative
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation LER Resources Website: LER Information & Resources
Microcredentials, certificates, digital badges, and learning pathways resources
- ACCRAO Report: Alternative Credentials: Considerations, Guidance, and Best Practices
- Aspen Institute Upskill America Article: Upskilling in the News: Hilton Announces New Education Benefit in Partnership with Guild Education
- C-BEN Field Guide: A Field Guide to Reimagine a System-Wide Approach to CBE
- C-BEN Framework: Quality Framework for Competency-Based Education Programs
- C-BEN Hallmark Practices: Hallmark Practices in CBE Assessment
- C-BEN Report: Standardized Components for a Competency-Based Educational Record
- Canadian Business Article: What Are Micro-Credentials, and Can They Help You Land a Better Job?
- Certification-Degrees Pathways Project Report: Embedding Certifications into Bachelor’s Degrees
- Credential Engine Policy Briefs: State Policy Briefs
- Community College System of New Hampshire Article: Community College System of New Hampshire Begins Awarding Professional Digital Badges
- Education Strategy Group Blog Post: Building Pathways Between Non-Credit and Credit Programs: Where to Begin?
- Higher Learning Commission Report: Evolving: Accreditation and the Credential Landscape
- HR Dive Article: SHRM backs ‘alternative credentials’ in report
- Insidetrack Report: Short-term credentials are here to stay — but how do employers view them?
- Inside Higher Ed Article: Collaboration Is Key to Successful Alternative Credential Creation
- SHRM Foundation Report: The Rise of Alternative Credentials in Hiring
- SHRM Foundation Report: Making Alternative Credentials Work: A New Strategy for HR Professionals
- Strada Article: How Credentials Can Create Opportunity for More People
- UPCEA Report: Shifting Paradigms: Understanding Institutional Perspectives on Micro Credentialing
- UPCEA Report: Non-Credit to Credit Pathways to Higher Education
- Workcred: A Series of Paper on Credentials
- Workcred Video Series: Standardization and Workforce Credentials
- Workforce Monitor Article: The Legitimacy and Illegitimacy of Credentials
Learning and Employment Record (LER) and Digital Wallet resources
- AACRAO Comprehensive Learner Record Report: CLR PHASE II REPORT
- Brookings White Paper: Learning and working in the digital age: Advancing opportunities and identifying the risks
- Congressional Research Services Brief: Digital Wallets and Selected Policy Issues
- Digital Promise Report: Inclusive Design Principles for Learning and Employment Records: Co-Designing for Equity
- Digital Promise Video: Toward Inclusive Design: Informing the Development of Learning and Employment Records (LERs)
- IMS Global Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR) Website: Comprehensive Learner Record Standard
- IMS Global Consortium Initiative Overview Website: Wellspring Initiative
- JFF Article: Digital Learning Records Make the Job Market More Equitable and CBOs Can Help
- JFF Market Scan: Building a Skills-Based Talent Marketplace
- Markle Foundation Video: Indiana Achievement Wallet Explained
- Medium Article: Interoperability for Verifiable Learning and Employment Records
- Project Unicorn Report: Achieving Interoperability Through the Cloud
- T3 Innovation Network Interoperable Learner Record (ILR) Use Cases: ILR Priority Use Case Template
- T3 Innovation Network Learning and Employment Record (LER) Use Cases: T3 LER Hub
- T3 Innovation Network Video: Introduction to LERs
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation LER Resources Website: LER Information & Resources
- U.S. Department of Education Office of Ed Tech Article: The Lifelong Learner Project building an ecosystem and digital wallet, centering the needs of teachers
- U.S. Department of Labor Paper: Enterprise Data Strategy
Blockchain and the Metaverse
- ACE Blockchain Innovation Challenge Website: Blockchain Innovation Challenge
- ACE Report: The Education Blockchain Initiative Final report
- Brookings Policy Brief: A whole new world: Education meets the metaverse
- Center for Global Development Paper: Reassessing Expectations for Blockchain and Development
- Government Technology Article: Executive Order to Strengthen California Blockchain Efforts
- Medium Article: Making the metaverse: What it is, how it will be built, and why it matters
Equity in skills-driven work
- Brookings Policy Brief: A whole new world: Education meets the metaverse
- Brookings Policy Brief: The promises and perils of new technologies to improve education and employment opportunities
- Brookings White Paper: Learning and working in the digital age: Advancing opportunities and identifying the risks
- Digital Promise Adult Learning Website: Adult Learning Overview
- Digital Promise Report: Inclusive Design Principles for Learning and Employment Records: Co-Designing for Equity
- Digital Promise Video: Toward Inclusive Design: Informing the Development of Learning and Employment Records (LERs)
- JFF Article: Digital Learning Records Make the Job Market More Equitable and CBOs Can Help
- JFF Market Scan: Purpose-Built to Advance Equity: Expanding Opportunities in Tech for Black Americans
- New York Times Article: Group backed by top companies moves to combat A.I. bias in hiring
- SHRM Foundation Guide: How to Address the Skills Gap
- Strada Article: How Credentials Can Create Opportunity for More People
- Working Nation Article: What is Not Causing the Skills Gap
Skills-based economy resources
- Brookings Policy Brief: The promises and perils of new technologies to improve education and employment opportunities
- Brookings White Paper:Learning and working in the digital age: Advancing opportunities and identifying the risks
- Education Design Lab Report: Skills Visibility: Why and How a Skills-Based Economy can be More Equitable
- Guild Education Guide: A Guide to Getting Started with Career Mobility
- Guild Education Report: What U.S. Workers Want from Education
- Government Technology Article: Executive Order to Strengthen California Blockchain Efforts
- House Education and Labor Committee Section by Section Overview: Workforce Opportunity and Innovation Act of 2022 (H.R. 7309)
- Stanford Graduate School of Education Report: Nine recommendations for an applied science to support working learners
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Initiative Website: JEDx: Jobs and Employment Data Exchange
Skills-based hiring resources
- Employee Benefit News Article: Struggling to hire? Don’t overlook alternative credentials
- Harvard Business Review Article: Skills-Based Hiring Is on the Rise
- Marketplace Article: Hiring based on skills instead of college degrees opens up opportunities for millions
- New York Times Article: Group backed by top companies moves to combat A.I. bias in hiring
- Strada Article: How Credentials Can Create Opportunity for More People –
- SHRM Foundation Guide: How to Address the Skills Gap
- SHRM Foundation Report: Making Alternative Credentials Work: A New Strategy for HR Professionals
- SHRM Foundation Report: The Rise of Alternative Credentials in Hiring
- Talent Management Article: Is the résumé outdated? The shift to skills-based hiring
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Initiative Website: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Talent Pipeline Management Initiative
EdTech Procurement Resources
- Project Unicorn Practical Guide: Better EdTech Buying for Educators
- Project Unicorn Resource: 12 Questions for EdTech Venders
- NASPO Website: National Association of State Procurement Officers Website
NGA Contacts:
- Amanda Winters, Program Director, Postsecondary Education
AWinters@nga.org, (202) 719-2872 - Corey Dixon, Project Manager
CDixon@nga.org
This project is made possible through support from Walmart
