1. Stacking Education and Industry Credentials to Increase the Career and Economic Mobility of Workers Evelyn Ganzglass, Senior Fellow, CLASP eganzglass@clasp.org 202-906-8015 NCWE, October 31, 2014 Visit CLASP website for materials on stackable credentials, competency-based approaches and career pathways

2. What is a Stackable Credential? A stackable credential as one that is “part of a sequence of credentials that can be accumulated over time to build up an individual’s qualifications and help them to move along a career pathway or up a career ladder to different and potentially higher- paying jobs.” (DOL) 2

3. Credentials include: Degrees (applied and transfer) Diplomas (high school, technical) Credit-bearing and noncredit educational certificates Apprenticeship and industry certificates Professional/industry certifications Work readiness credentials Licenses Digital badges and other micro-credentials ?????? 3

4. Why Stack Credentials? 1.Credentials count 2.Too many dead ends as students combine education and work, and follow circuitous paths to skills, credentials and employment 3.Provide students with credentials that have ‘economic value’ on way to earning degree 4.Provide manageable stepping stones to higher level credentials 5.Recognize learning that takes place outside traditional classrooms 6.Promote lifelong learning so that students stay current with changing workplace requirements 7.Focus on results: learning outcomes; completion agenda; gainful employment; performance-based funding; WIOA

5. 1. Well-connected and transparent education, training, credential, and supportive service offerings within specific occupations; often delivered via multiple linked and aligned programming Stackable Credentials are Integral to Career Pathways Increasing skills, competencies, and credentials e.g., license, industry certificate 3 rd Job in Career Path 2 nd Job in Career Path 1 st Job in Career Path informed by industry/employers e.g., certificate, diploma e.g., 2-year degree e.g., 4-year degree N th Job in Career Path 2. Multiple entry points/on- ramps including for those with limited education, English, skills, and work experiences, i.e., bridge programs bridge(s) 3. Multiple exit points at successively higher levels of family supporting employment and aligned with subsequent entry points high school students former military ABE/lower- skilled students incumbent workers offenders or ex- offenders unemployed workers apprentices

7. Strategies to Create Stackable Credentials 1.Embed industry & professional certifications in career & technical programs 2.Create dual enrollment options to work concurrently toward high school diploma, industry certifications & postsecondary credentials 3.Modularize Applied Associate & Technical Diploma programs to create manageable stepping stones to longer-term credentials 4.Create “lattice credentials” that allow students to move up a career ladder & across multiple career pathways 5.Streamline and scale processes for awarding credit for learning represented by non-collegiate credentials

10. Questions related to embedding industry & professional certifications 1.Which certifications do regional employers (small/large) use? 2.Should vendor-specific (Microsoft)or only vendor neutral certifications (CompTIA) be used? 3.Should examinations (including fees) be included in the program? 4.Will credit be provided for certifications? Role of CPL? 5.What quality assurance mechanisms are associated with different certifications? 6.Do instructors need to be certified to teach to certifications? 7.How to get information back on pass rates on certification exams for accountability purposes?

11. Dual Enrollment Options Apprenticeship Adult Education/ESL High school to college Need to negotiate: What counts for credit and how in both systems? Who pays for what?

12. Oregon’s Guiding Vision In service of meeting Oregon’s 40-40-20 goal for the “middle 40” Short-term certificate completion & continued education –higher learning & higher earning Address the changing needs of employers, job seekers, workers, and students Focus on Career & Technical Education (CTE) short-term certificates tied to occupational competencies

13. Oregon’s Career Pathways Initiative Goals 2004-2014 To increase the number of Oregonians with certificates, credentials, and degrees To ease transitions across the education continuum—high school to community college; pre-college (ABE/GED/ESL) to postsecondary credit ; community college to university; and to employment

14. Policy Direction Drives Increased Completions State Board of Education approved Career Pathway Certificate (CPCC) effective July 1, 2007. CTE program Certificates tied to competencies for jobs in local labor market & approved by employers More than 350 Career Pathway CTE Certificates offered statewide (12-44 credits) More than 100 Less Than One Year (LTOY) CTE Certificates offered already offered statewide (12-44 credits) Average number of credits for certificates: 22 More than 7,600 certificates awarded since 2008-2013 Pathways Descriptive Study of initial cohort of completers released March 2013; second study underway

15. Oregon Stackable Credentials Milestones & momentum points to an A.A.S. degree Modularize “chunk” degree programs tied to competencies in entry-level jobs or job advancement Two types of short-term CTE certificates types (12-44 credits) – Career Pathway Certificates (CPCC) wholly-contained AAS – Less Than One Year Certificate (LTOY) Approximately 50 Career Pathway Certificate tied to industry- recognized credentials Online roadmaps graphically depict each career pathway Stackable credential for Lower Division Transfer: Oregon Transfer Module (OTM) within the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer (AAOT)

16. Rogue Community College Basic Healthcare Certificate Tied to competencies identified by local employers Designed to meet the needs of high school (dual credit), community college, and Adult Basic Skills students Latticed to multiple allied health occupation CTE degree programs Offered online 26-38 credits http://www.roguecc.edu/Programs/14_15/BasicHe althCare_cert.pdf http://www.roguecc.edu/Programs/14_15/BasicHe althCare_cert.pdf

17. Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) Statewide Standards Adopted by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission May 2014 Standards describe “what”; each college individually determines the “how” Early Childhood Education Cert: 9 credits CPL http://education.oregon.gov/Documents/HECC/ May%208,%202014/5.0%20CPL%20Standards%2 0FINAL%20DRAFT.pdf http://education.oregon.gov/Documents/HECC/ May%208,%202014/5.0%20CPL%20Standards%2 0FINAL%20DRAFT.pdf

18. 8 CPL Standards CPL Requisites Evidence-based assessment Tuition & fee structure Transferability & transcription Data collection & reporting Faculty & staff development Quality assurance

19. Financial Guidelines Federal and state financial aid is not designed for short-term Certificate programs and does not fund most Career Pathway, Less Than One Year (LTOY), and other stand-alone 12-44 credit Certificate Programs. Career Pathway, LTOY, and other stand-alone Certificates that are 36-44 credits and three terms in length can be submitted on a college’s Program Participation Agreement (PPA) and considered for federal and state financial aid. This guideline is similar for Apprenticeship Certificates. While many students are not entirely certain of their major goal when they enter community college and apply for financial aid, declaring an associate degree as their major goal allows students the most options to attain a certificate or degree. Students who declare a course of study as an Associate Degree can obtain a Career Pathway Certificate, LTOY, or other stand-alone Certificate as they complete the required coursework toward attaining their degree goal. Career Pathway Certificates & Less Than One Year Certificates are “momentum points” in student progression toward an associate degree.

23. For more information Evelyn Ganzglass, Center for Law & Social Policy eganzglass@clasp.org Mimi Maduro, Oregon Dept. of Community Colleges mmaduro@cgcc.edu