Share this
Linking Learning and Work Through Interoperable Digital Credentials and Shared Competency Frameworks
by CAEL on Jan 04, 2021
Beginning a multiphase project shortly before the start of a global pandemic might seem a case of suboptimal timing. In the case of the Wellspring Project, there may be some silver linings. Yes, it was challenged by the now-familiar realities of collaborating during pandemic precautions. But given the unprecedented upheaval to the employment landscape, its promising work around cultivating education-to-work ecosystems couldn't have come at a better time.
The first phase of the project, which is sponsored by IMS Global Learning Consortium and the 1EdTech Foundation, with funding from the Charles Koch Foundation and Walmart, began in September of last year. It concluded in August. Its outcomes include the creation of competency frameworks that unequivocally tie academic credentials with 'real life' job duties.
Cocreating these competency frameworks required continuous collaboration among the project's participating educators and employers. CAEL played a key role in convening them. Along with other project sponsors and leaders, CAEL volunteered its support to this important initiative, helping identify and onboard each cohort of education-employer partners and providing data support in preparation of Phase 1.
CAEL also led a two-day, face-to-face workshop in February and supported subsequent virtual sessions that allowed participants to successfully complete the project's initial phase.
The Wellspring Project envisions a mutualistic education-employment ecosystem based on digital credentials. Its overall mission is to realize this through partnerships among institutions and corporations. The focus of this collaboration is making credentials effective for learners, workers, educators, and employers alike. To attain this level of equitable efficacy, credentials must be de-siloed, interoperable, and universally verifiable. The project sees this as critical to 'empowering individuals to find jobs and help transform the education system as it moves from valuing seat-time to skills.'
The project offers a promising model for forging a functional alignment between learning and work. Key to this are academic credentials that adhere to open standards for data interoperability. On the employer front, recruiters would source talent based on the above-mentioned verifiable digital credentials. On the individual level, learners would benefit from a new credential currency with transactional value evident and accessible throughout the work-learn continuum.
The goals of the recently completed first phase centered on competency frameworks. Just as a competency can be a mix of knowledge areas, skills, and abilities, success in an occupation depends on a particular mix of competencies. A competency framework establishes which competencies are needed for success in an academic program or job role.
But a common denominator is needed to align academic curricula with workplace requirements. In Phase 1, educators and their employer partners developed complementary frameworks that captured learning outcomes and job-performance requirements. Leveraging the IMS Competencies and Academic Standards Exchange (CASE), they digitally mapped the frameworks to show that when credentials are expressed in machine-readable data, they can effectively connect employer talent needs with coursework.
The key findings of Phase 1 offer encouraging confirmation that collaboration around competency frameworks can bolster strategic partnerships between employers and educators. This is good news, as a focus on meeting local needs was the primary motivating factor for institutions to participate in the project. Meanwhile, participating employers reported that a greater emphasis on competencies improves recruiting and hiring processes.
At the same time, the project revealed that the work of creating aligned competency frameworks can be labor intensive. Executive support is critical. There also is broad recognition among stakeholders about the importance of technology in making effective talent pipeline management more efficient.
Reported implications of Phase 1 include a need for more open standards to encourage further collaboration. In addition, although widespread efforts to define skills are needed, they should be flexible enough to accommodate local needs.
Calling on industry to use open standards to clearly assert talent needs, the Phase 1 report predicts that greater use of open standards will build awareness of their ROI, thereby garnering critical support from senior leaders among all stakeholders.
Noting the complexity of creating effective frameworks, the report forecasts robust demand for tools that can streamline education-employer engagement. It cites Comprehensive Learner Records and Open Badges as viable solutions for conveying and confirming recognized skills.
Phase 1 offered valuable findings, particularly through its robust examination of how to construct an effective framework. Work will now focus on the broader goal of 'demonstrating the Comprehensive Learner Record standard, augmented by machine-readable competency and skills frameworks, to bridge lifelong learning and workforce' needs. We look forward to these continuing efforts in Phase 2, during which CAEL industry coalition partner the Energy Providers Coalition for Education (EPCE) will be building on this important work to better understand ways to communicate outcomes and tie them to industry skills. EPCE represents energy employers across the country working together to create, sponsor, and offer easily accessible online education and training pathways for the energy workforce.
More information about the Wellspring Project is available at https://www.imsglobal.org/about/wellspring.
Share this
- Adult Learner Success (107)
- Success Stories (71)
- CAEL Members (70)
- Workforce Development (57)
- Credit for Prior Learning (53)
- Best Practices (47)
- Career Pathways Support (30)
- Work-based Learning (29)
- Strategic Partnerships (27)
- Impact (26)
- Trends in Higher Education (25)
- Upskilling and Reskilling (20)
- DEI (19)
- Retention and Completion (18)
- Curation (17)
- Talent Management (17)
- Q&A (16)
- Adult Learner 360 (15)
- Policy (12)
- Short-term Credentials (11)
- Competency Based Education (CBE) (10)
- Adult Learner Academy (9)
- Student support (9)
- Enrollment (8)
- Research (7)
- Student Stories (7)
- Transfer Students (7)
- Experiential Learning (6)
- Featured (6)
- HSIs (6)
- In the news (6)
- Military-connected Learners (6)
- NACTEL (6)
- Online Learning (6)
- Case Studies (5)
- Community colleges (5)
- EPCE (5)
- Education Benefits (5)
- Wraparound Support (4)
- Apprenticeships (3)
- COVID-19 (3)
- Future of work (3)
- Guest blog (3)
- Structural Approaches to Learning (3)
- Accelerated Program (2)
- Credit Predictor Pro (2)
- HBCUs (2)
- Tuition (2)
- Skills-based hiring (1)
- Student parents (1)
- September 2024 (6)
- August 2024 (10)
- July 2024 (9)
- June 2024 (8)
- May 2024 (11)
- April 2024 (5)
- March 2024 (7)
- February 2024 (5)
- January 2024 (7)
- December 2023 (9)
- November 2023 (7)
- October 2023 (3)
- September 2023 (4)
- August 2023 (3)
- July 2023 (5)
- June 2023 (8)
- May 2023 (9)
- April 2023 (5)
- March 2023 (6)
- February 2023 (5)
- January 2023 (3)
- December 2022 (4)
- November 2022 (7)
- October 2022 (7)
- September 2022 (6)
- August 2022 (6)
- July 2022 (4)
- June 2022 (6)
- May 2022 (4)
- April 2022 (4)
- March 2022 (3)
- February 2022 (5)
- January 2022 (5)
- December 2021 (4)
- November 2021 (2)
- October 2021 (8)
- September 2021 (4)
- August 2021 (4)
- July 2021 (2)
- June 2021 (6)
- May 2021 (5)
- April 2021 (9)
- March 2021 (8)
- February 2021 (5)
- January 2021 (4)
- December 2020 (4)
- November 2020 (3)
- October 2020 (6)
- September 2020 (2)
- August 2020 (1)
- July 2020 (4)
- May 2020 (2)
- April 2020 (1)
- March 2020 (2)
- February 2020 (3)
- January 2020 (3)
- December 2019 (2)
- July 2019 (1)
- May 2019 (1)
- February 2019 (1)
- January 2019 (1)
- October 2018 (4)
- September 2018 (1)
- August 2018 (1)
- July 2018 (1)
- May 2018 (1)
- April 2018 (2)
- March 2018 (1)
- February 2018 (2)
- September 2017 (1)
- August 2017 (2)
- July 2017 (5)
- June 2017 (4)
- May 2017 (3)
- March 2017 (1)
- February 2017 (4)
- December 2016 (3)
- November 2016 (1)
- October 2016 (3)
- August 2016 (8)
- July 2016 (2)
- June 2016 (2)
- May 2016 (5)
- April 2016 (2)
- March 2016 (6)
- February 2016 (9)
- January 2016 (4)
- January 2015 (2)