Credentials 101Credentials 101

March 29, 2011 11:00 a.m.March 29, 2011 11:00 a.m.

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Presenter/ModeratorPresenter/Moderator

Pamela Frugoli O*NET/Competency Assessment Team Lead

Employment and Training Administration

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Why Postsecondary Why Postsecondary Credentials? Credentials?

President Obama’s Goals:– U.S. leads the world in percentage of

college graduates• Every American completes one year of

postsecondary

– Restore Economic Competitiveness• Labor market projections on skill demands

– Reduce Income Inequality• Skills gap = income gap

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Improve labor market outcomes for individuals

– Lower unemployment

– Higher lifetime earnings

– Women and minorities – increased gains from credentials

Why Credentials: Job SeekersWhy Credentials: Job Seekers

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Increasing Credential Attainment in the Increasing Credential Attainment in the Public Workforce Investment SystemPublic Workforce Investment System

DOL High Priority Performance Goal to increase credential attainment by 10 percent by June 2012

TEGL 15-10, issued on December 15, 2010, includes guidance, strategies, and information on credentials

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Credential Resource GuideCredential Resource Guide(TEGL 15-10, Attachment 2)(TEGL 15-10, Attachment 2)

Information and resources on credentials

1. Defining Credentials

2. Tools for Identifying Credentials

3. Attributes of Credentials Current Models of Industry-Recognized

Stackable Credentials

4. Acquiring and Leveraging Credentials Credit for Prior Learning

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TYPES OF CREDENTIALSTYPES OF CREDENTIALS

Educational diplomas, certificates and degrees

Registered apprenticeship certificates; Occupational licenses (typically awarded

by State government agencies) Personnel certifications from industry

or professional associations Other skill certificates for specific skill

sets or competencies within one or more industries or occupations

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Tools to Identify Credentials – Education Tools to Identify Credentials – Education ProgramsPrograms

– National Center for Education Statistics—College Navigator site: http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/

– ETA’s CareerOneStop

• Training Finder: http://www.careerinfonet.org/edutraining/

• Short-Term Training Finder: http://www.careeronestop.org/EducationTraining/Find/Short-TermTraining.aspx

– State and Local Resources

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Tools to Identify Credentials—Tools to Identify Credentials—Career ClustersCareer Clusters

The Carl Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act of 2006 emphasizes programs of study in 16 career clusters and pathways

The National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) provides related information at:e www.careerclusters.org

Recently added related credentials listings at: http://careerclusters.org/credentials.php

Southern Regional Education Board study on the quality and rigor of CTE-related credentials at: http://publications.sreb.org/2009/09V01CTExamReport_2009.pdf

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Occupational Licenses Occupational Licenses

Granted by Federal, state or local governmental agencies

Mandatory Intended to set professional standards and ensure

safety and quality of work (such as medical licenses for doctors)

Required in addition to other credentials (educational awards, apprenticeship, or certification)

Defined by laws and regulations Time-limited - occupational licenses must be

renewed based on meeting on-going requirements Violation of the terms of the license can result in

legal action

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Tools to Identify Credentials--LicensesTools to Identify Credentials--Licenses

CareerOneStop provides a searchable Licensed Occupations database

Contains federal and state-provided information– Licensing agency name, address, and contact

information,

– Internet links if available;

– License description and applicable fees

– Examination requirements, if applicable

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http://www.careerinfonet.org/licensedoccupations/lois_keyword.asp?nodeid=16&by=keyword

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COS Licensed Occupations DatabaseCOS Licensed Occupations Database

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Personnel CertificationsPersonnel Certifications

Granted by third-party non-governmental agencies - usually associations, and by companies;

Intended to set professional standards for qualifications:

• Crane Operator certification

• Novell Network Certified Engineer

The standards for certifications are not defined by government laws or regulations;

Usually require successful completion of an examination or assessment indicating mastery of competencies against a set of standards

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Tools to Identify Credentials--CertificationsTools to Identify Credentials--Certifications

CareerOneStop provides a Certification Finder tool to identify industry or occupational personnel certifications.

This tool provides information including the certifying organization’s name, address, and related Web links; certification description; and certification details such as examination and/or work requirements.

Information about occupational and industry

certifications associated with particular industry competency models is available through the Competency Model Clearinghouse, through the Find Resources search tool.

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http://www.careerinfonet.org/certifications_new/ default.aspx

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Certification Finder Results for EMTCertification Finder Results for EMT

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Tools to Identify CredentialsTools to Identify CredentialsTransferable skillsTransferable skills

CareerOneStop has introduced a new online tool, www.mySkillsmyFuture.org, to assist dislocated workers and others with work experience who may need to change careers to find employment

Links through to related credentials– Short-term training (certificate)

– Apprenticeships

– Licenses

– Personnel certifications

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www.mySkillsmyFuture.org

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Attributes of Career-Enhancing CredentialsAttributes of Career-Enhancing Credentials

Industry-recognized Stackable Portable Quality/Accredited Labor Market Value

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Industry-Recognized CredentialsIndustry-Recognized Credentials

3 Industry examples– Advanced Manufacturing

– Energy

– Information Technology

Often based on industry competency models

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Industry-Recognized Industry-Recognized Stackable CredentialsStackable Credentials

Advanced Manufacturing

The Manufacturing Institute has endorsed a Manufacturing Skills Certification System

Pilot implementation through community

colleges Enable participants to advance along a

manufacturing career pathway

Beginning at entry level work readiness and employability skills to technical competencies associated with specific types of manufacturing

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Industry-Recognized Industry-Recognized Stackable CredentialsStackable Credentials

Center for Energy Workforce Development

Get into Energy Career Pathways Model

3 categories of education and training that align with the tiers of the Energy Competency Model: – Basic Training (Tiers 1-3),

– Industry Fundamentals (Tiers 4-5)

– Job Specific Skills and Credentials (Tiers 6-8).

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Get Into EnergyGet Into Energy

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Industry-Recognized Industry-Recognized Stackable CredentialsStackable Credentials

Information Technology The Computing Technology Industry Association

(CompTIA) has developed several online tools

The Getting America Back to Work (GABTW) site guides individuals through an integrated process:

1) Assessment

2) Training

3) Certification

4) Job placement

At each stage, there are referrals to relevant information—including to local One-Stop Career Centers and other training resources

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http://www.comptia.org/careers/backtowork.aspx

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Competency Model ClearinghouseCompetency Model Clearinghousewww.CareerOneStop.org/CompetencyModel

18 industry competency models (and counting)

Framework for stacking credentials

Interactive online tools to build or customize:

– Industry competency model

– Related Career Ladder or Lattice—with associated credentials

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Tools to Build Career Ladders Tools to Build Career Ladders

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http://www.careeronestop.org/competencymodel/careerpathway/cpwoverview.aspx

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Health Information Technology Career PathwayHealth Information Technology Career Pathway

Central Oregon Community College Central Oregon Community College

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Major Major AccreditationAccreditation Organizations for Organizations for Personnel CertificationsPersonnel Certifications

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Provides accreditation of personnel certifications and

certificates Maintains a Directory of Accredited Personnel

(ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024) Certification Bodies, Applicants and Suspended Certification Bodies available online

The Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE)/ National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA)

Provides accreditation of personnel certifications and certificates

Maintains a listing of Accredited Certification Programs at: ICE/NCCA also has recently begun a program to accredit Personnel Certificates

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Credential attainment strategiesCredential attainment strategies

Design around Needs of “Working Learners”– Contextualization

– Flexible Scheduling

– Flexible Delivery (on-line, workplace, etc)

Shorten Time to Credential Attainment

– Integrating Basic Skills Education and Training

– Credit for Prior Learning

– Accelerated program designs

– Chunking/Modularization Provide Extensive Wrap-Around and Support

Services http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/attach/TEGL15-10.pdf

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Resources for leveraging credentials Resources for leveraging credentials

Importance of credit for prior learning– Persistence

– Shorten time to completion

– Save tuition dollars

– Reduce educational loan burden

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Credit for Prior or Other Learning or Work Credit for Prior or Other Learning or Work ExperienceExperience

National

American Council on Education (ACE) College Credit Recommendation Service (CREDIT) helps adults gain access to academic credit for formal courses and examinations taken outside traditional degree programs. ACE provides reliable course equivalency information to facilitate credit award decisions.

http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=CCRS

ACE National Guide to College Credit for Workforce Training publishes credit recommendations for formal instructional programs offered by non-collegiate agencies, both civilian employers and the military.

http://www2.acenet.edu/credit/?fuseaction=browse.main

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Credit for Prior or Other Learning or Work Credit for Prior or Other Learning or Work ExperienceExperience

Local Experiential Learning Assessments: also known as

individualized student portfolios or interviews. Evaluation of Local Training: program evaluations

done by individual colleges of non-collegiate instructional programs.

Challenge Exams: local tests developed by a college to verify learning achievement.

Center for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) has resources to assist educational institutions in incorporating prior learning to help their students achieve certificate and degree completion.

Online Prior Learning Assessment Certificate Program http://www.cael.org/online_pla_certificate_program.htm

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Credit for Prior or Other Learning or Work Credit for Prior or Other Learning or Work ExperienceExperience

Credit by Examination

The College Level Examination Program® (CLEP) gives individuals the opportunity to receive college credit by earning qualifying scores on any of 34 examinations for knowledge acquired through independent study, prior course work, on-the-job training, professional development, cultural pursuits, or internships.

Advanced Placement (AP) Exams -- 34 exams in 19 subject areas (initially for high school courses).

DSST Credit by Exam Program (formerly known as the DANTES Subject Standardized Test Program). These exams test knowledge of both lower-level and upper-level college material through 38 exams. DANTES is the Defense Activity for Nontraditional Education Support, designed to assist military personnel in obtaining civilian educational credit for military training.

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