Intersect With Earl October 2025

by Earl Buford on Oct 16, 2025

CAEL has long supported the inclusion of quality short-term credentials under the Pell Grant umbrella, so we view the recent passage of Workforce Pell as a moment of great opportunity—but also some uncertainty—for adult learners and the workforce ecosystem. Rachel Hirsch outlined some of the implications of this still-developing policy change for our blog, and you’ll find additional references below, along with several promising developments around credit for prior learning. And don’t forget that our annual conference is only a month away, but there is still time to register. I hope to see you in Memphis!

Putting Workforce Pell into practice: I often stress the importance of taking a holistic view of credentials. We should view degree programs and workforce credentials as progressions along intersecting pathways. Postsecondary preparations for Workforce Pell offer a new example of how this perspective can be advantageous. A challenge facing many colleges is disparate processes for tracking outcomes among degree vs. technical programs. Bossier Parish Community College, a CAEL member, is ahead of the curve, thanks to a well-established practice of integrating short-term credentials within classes and a comprehensive data platform it launched in 2017 that can capture the full credential continuum and key outcomes.

CPL finding a wider audience: It’s always exciting to see CPL awareness grow. One sure sign that it is in fact growing is coverage outside of trade publications, such as this recent article that appeared in The Tribune-Star of Terre Haute, Indiana. It features examples of CPL’s impact at the individual and systemic levels, including Beth Doyle’s personal and professional CPL experiences. It also highlights CAEL’s work with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education on statewide policy guidance and how CAEL institutional member Indiana State University is scaling CPL. Shortly after the article, the paper followed up with an editorial calling for all colleges to adopt CPL.

Credit mobility can move more students to enroll: Speaking of persuasive pieces, Beth collaborated with fellow members of AACRAO’s LEARN commission on an Inside Higher Ed op ed. In their article, they cite CAEL research to show that improved credit mobility can encourage adult learner enrollment, a point that grows increasingly salient as short-term credentials and other nontraditional postsecondary pathways proliferate.

RFA open for CPL policy community of practice, including stipend, technical assistance: CAEL is partnering with RAND to offer technical assistance to states or statewide systems of higher education for enhancing CPL public policies. The two-year initiative is made possible by funding from ECMC Foundation and Strada Education Foundation. Three state teams will be selected to receive a stipend and technical assistance from CAEL subject matter experts during the program. Our specialists will develop a customized approach for implementing or expanding public policies that address challenges and capture opportunities related to CPL. RAND will develop a state policy framework to help guide the TA and data collection efforts to learn from states’ experiences, ultimately refining a framework and rubric for scaling CPL policies statewide. We just opened the selection process last week, which will run through Nov. 21, 2025. You can find more details in our request for applications, which can be reviewed and submitted at the project page on CAEL’s website.

Celebrating HBCU week: CAEL took the opportunity to celebrate HBCU week by highlighting the impact and collaboration of the HBCU Adult Learner Initiative (HBCU ALI) created by Lumina Foundation. Our events included guest blogs and two special webinars. Thank you to Gloria Mwase and Alicia Myrick for organizing our events and to Lumina Foundation for making them possible.

Building a learning society: On September 16, I joined several other thought leaders in workforce development, education, and training in a webinar discussing the culmination report of the Stanford Center on Longevity’s Futures Project on Education and Learning for Longer Lives. Building a Learning Society: Design Principles for Human-Capital Investment, 2025–2035 calls for a “learning society” to replace today’s “schooled society,” a status quo we achieved last century thanks to groundbreaking advancements in that era. The report challenges us to address present-day paradigm-challenging forces, such as the proliferation of AI and other tech-driven changes, by investing in human talent, drawing parallels to the massive investments in higher ed that were made in response to the space race. More than 30 Futures Fellows, including Dr. Gloria Mwase, contributed to the publication. The full report and webinar recording are available at learningsociety.io.

Grant opportunity: The annual Honda USA Foundation funding cycle recently opened. Applications will be accepted through October 31, with awards announced in the coming spring. Education-related efforts aligned to Honda CSR pillars, specifically, “… hands-on programs that strengthen the manufacturing industry and bolster the talent pipeline” are mentioned in the funding announcement, with priority to be given to “initiatives that train individuals for manufacturing roles, develop technical skills in design and data analytics, and introduce automation and AI to enhance current systems.” If you’re curious about how CAEL might partner on your application, please contact MelissaKaye Sheokski.