The New Employability

Landscape—Innovative Strategies

and Case Studies

Cite 2016

February 9, 2016

daniel.goldsmith@pearson.com

Agenda

1. Developing an innovative employability strategy

2. Our advice on evaluating opportunities

3. Example case studies / potential outcomes

4. Managing implementation

5. Assessing outcomes – key questions to guide strategy

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What are alternative credentials?

Examples

• For-credit certificates

• Non-credit certificates

• Industry certifications

• Badges

• Validations

• Endorsements

• Exemptions

• Credit articulation

“Alternative credentials are typically offered as

awards for the completion of standalone

course.

They are most often, though not always,

professionally focused and intended to teach

very specific subjects or skill sets (i.e., they

are not designed for broad exposure to ideas

or skills).” – Eduventures, 2015

3

Tailwinds supporting alternative credentials

• DOE experimental

sites to award financial

aid for programs like

coding boot camps

• Obama administration:

“Every American

commit to at least one-

year of higher

education or post-

secondary training”

• Lumina Foundation

Credentials Framework - a

systemic commonly

accepted hierarchy of

credentials that would

signify what holders of the

credential know and do

• Lumina Foundation: 60%

of Americans to “obtain a

high-quality

postsecondary degree or

credential by 2025”

• Top-tier institutions

developing an

alternative

credential “store”

• Many new

partnerships to

develop and

deliver alt

credentials

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Alterative credentials aren’t new, though there are

innovations

Overview:

• Continuing education - certs, CEUs, and other credentials for decades.

• Now awarding badges, competencies, and various additional indicators of

knowledge and skills.

• Today many not-for-profit and for-profit providers offer credentials in nearly

every discipline or skill.

Potential alternative cred examples:

• Boot camps for IT courses or tech skills

• Competency based education (CBE)

• Micro credentials

• Bridge / business boot camp programs

• Boot camps preparing students to take industry assessment / certification

• Maker-space programs

• Executive education

• ….

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Getting to an alt cred strategy – why do institutions

explore alternative credentials?

• Financial drivers: Generate new revenue, increase enrollments,

increase degree completion, decrease delivery costs

• Market / differentiation strategy: Improve quality of graduates,

improve quality of programs, increase competitiveness (both within

HE and against new entrants)

• Leadership supports: Clear employability directives, ties to

institutional mission, ties to strategic objectives / plan

• Organizational foundations: Existence of supporting infrastructure,

employability focused program structures, etc.

• Regional employment needs: Greater clarity on definition of needs,

sustainable ties to employers

• Public policy context: Attention from state / other gov authorities

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Examples: 3 alternative credential models

1. IT boot camps: Intensive, short duration certification programs

focused on in demand skills from employers. For example, an IT

certificate in mobile applications

2. CBE self-paced certificates: Institution offers self-paced certificate

programs within a competency framework. For example, an

institution’s workforce certificate programs could help a large HC

provider retrain nurses in home health care in a flexible format.

3. Micro credentials: Branded, stackable “credentials” validated by

employers in high demand skills. For example, a trade association

develops an industry specific certification and needs delivery, content,

and technology partners.

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Potential outcomes of alt cred models

Model Potential outcomes

1. IT boot camps

(certificates)

• Close gap between traditional curriculum and workforce

needs

• Could include new certification and /or badge / series of

badges

• Drive new enrollments

2. CBE (self paced

certificates)

• Assessment driven CBE to enhance credibility and quality

• Employer involvement in curriculum, workforce alignment

• Meeting scaled needs of (large) employers

• Affordable, greater speed to completion

3. Micro credentials

• Develop or redesign curriculum into modular framework

• Flexible and fast path to programs development (reuse,

cross program applicability)

• Granular pathways to validated skill development

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A variety of alternative credential models & collaborations

are just now emerging

SHNU / Flatiron

Expansion of

SNHU‘s online

learning program

Coding bootcamp at

SNHU's Nashua

campus

3+1 program that

starts at SNHU and

ends at Flatiron /

internship.

GA / Lynn

University

Earn 15 credits by

completing a 16-

week academic

program in

technology design

Offered at distant

campus of General

Assembly

Georgia Tech,

Udacity, and AT&T

offer an online

Master´s degree in

Computer Science

Full degree through

Georgia Tech or

take individual

classes with Udacity

Receive credit for a

semester’s worth of

courses online via

edX

Then complete an

on ground MIT

master’s degree

Or receive a

“MicroMaster’s” for

the semester online

Georgia Tech /

Udacity

MIT / edX

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Lifecycle framework for alt cred strategy

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Micro-credentials

First YearProgramProgress

Completion EmploymentPre-enrollment

Post-enrollment

Bridge programs Bootcamps

Badges / micro creds

Alternative pathways

Capstone experiences

Career advancement

Lifelong learning model

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Micro-credentials

First YearProgramProgress

Completion EmploymentPre-enrollment

Post-enrollment

Bridge programs Bootcamps

Badges / micro creds

Alternative pathways

Capstone experiences

Career advancement

Functional framework for evaluating alt cred strategy

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Institutional starting point

Strategic options Outcomes

• Entry points

• Student populations

1. Instruction / program portfolio

2. Assessment, transcript, credential

3. Outside the classroom

4. Organization for employment

5. Workforce alignment

• Institution

• Students

• Employers

Functional framework for evaluating alt cred strategy

Institutional entry points

• Degree programs

• Workforce programs

• Dev Ed

Populations

• Traditional

• Adult returners

• Non-degree

• CC transfers

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Institutional starting point

Functional framework for evaluating alt cred strategy

Organization for employment

Outside the classroom

Assessment, transcript,

credential

Institutional entry points

• Degree programs

• Workforce programs

• Dev Ed

Populations

• Traditional

• Adult returners

• Non-degree

• CC transfers

Institutional focus

• College readiness

• Degree completion

• Career-path dev

• Employer relations

Instruction / program portfolio

Workforce alignment

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Institutional starting point

Strategic options

Functional framework for evaluating alt cred strategy

Organization for employment

Outside the classroom

Assessment, transcript,

credential

Institutional entry points

• Degree programs

• Workforce programs

• Dev Ed

Populations

• Traditional

• Adult returners

• Non-degree

• CC transfers

Institutional focus

• College readiness

• Degree completion

• Career-path dev

• Employer relations

Instruction / program portfolio

Workforce alignment

Employer outcomes

• Abilities

• Characteristics

• Licensures

• Etc.

Institutional outcomes

• Student outcomes /

metrics

• Revenue / enrollments

• Etc.

Student / employee

outcomes

• Employment/earnings

• Career progression

• Etc.

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Institutional starting point

Strategic options Outcomes

Managing the implementation: accelerators / inhibitors

Accelerators

• Clear articulation of contribution to program goals

• Alignment to employer demand. Ex: Big Data in Public Administration

• Alignment to the “development journey”

• Optional or outside of foundational curriculum

• Multiple target markets

• Integration into larger employability strategy

• …

Inhibitors

• Academic integration challenges– primarily as part of foundational curriculum

• Business integration challenges

• Partnership concerns

• Faculty concerns

• Limited integrated employability strategy

• …

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Outcomes: key questions to ask to ask to ensure

alignment between alt cred models and outcomes

• Connection to learner developmental

stage?

• Connection to demonstrated employer

needs?

• Key drivers for you to consider this?

Revenue generating or program

enhancement? Etc.?

• Where does leadership live within the

organization?

• What is the degree of customization from

standard models you would like or need to

see?

• If working with a partner, what are the

respective role?

• What is the potential market size, scope,

and longevity for this program?

Improved alignment

to employer needs

Support retention

Foster innovation

Improve access and

affordability

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Suggested topics for discussion

• Alt creds and higher education: either/or or complementary?

• Should / how can traditional institutions leverage alt creds – embedded, co-curricular / optional, other?

• Are alt creds the right model for lifelong learning?

• Education vs. vocational training?

• Others?

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Appendix

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Boot camp / alt cred go-to-market models

Model components Model definitions

Content Areas • Technical, business, transferable / soft

Institutional integration models• Credit vs. Non-credit

• Foundational vs. supplemental vs. bridge

Offering to student

• Stage of the developmental journey

• Co-curricular / optional / recommended, capstone,

required for program, pre-college

Delivery • Online, hybrid, face-to-face

Institutional entry point /

drivers

• General curriculum vs. professional / continuing ed.

• Revenue growth, new pathways, outcomes

Partnership models

• Turnkey, customizable, shared roles

• Licensed content, outsourced services, managed

programs

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