About
Credential As You Go
Credential As You Go is a movement to develop a nationally adopted incremental credentialing system that improves education and employment outcomes.
LEARNER OUTCOMES
Our Research
Research is key to Credential As You Go to assess the promise of system- and institution-level implementation of incremental credentials.
EXPANSION
Network
In 2023, 30 additional organizations joined Credential As You Go, doubling the numbers of organizations working to design and implement incremental credentials.
INCREMENTAL CREDENTIALING
Improving Education and Employment Outcomes For All Learners
Credential As You Go provides many tools and resources to support the incremental credentialing movement.
TRANSFORMATION
Credential As You Go Video: Transforming the Nation's Credentialing System
Credential As You Go is a movement to develop a nationally adopted incremental credentialing system that improves education and employment outcomes for all. This video provides an overview of this movement.
THE NEED
The Current Landscape of Credentialing
Degree-centric Postsecondary System
Our current system does not recognize partial degrees, leaving many Americans without formal recognition of their knowledge and skills.
Yet, current postsecondary systems are mainly focused on 4 DEGREE TYPES: associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral/professional.
There are 40.4 MILLION individuals still with some college/no credential.
With no credential, people lack recognition of learning – hindering employment and further education
Equity Imperative
Credentialing is an equity issue.
Less than 30% of degrees are awarded to people of color
U.S. Census, 2021
Among Black adults, 18% have some college/no degree – the highest percent of all groups
U.S. Census, 2021
Black learners carry the highest debt load across population groups
Hanson, 2020
Across all groups, Latinos/Latinas have the largest proportion of adults – 57% – with no college experience
U.S. Census, 2021
Rapid Credential Expansion
The U.S. credential landscape is increasingly confusing and chaotic.
There are 1,076,358 UNIQUE CREDENTIALS in the U.S.
The Credential Registry provides open tools to publish competency and skill data in CTDL-ASN. There are currently over 425 competency frameworks in the Registry containing over 44,500 competencies
There are 359,713 POSTSECONDARY DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES in the U.S.
Credential Engine, 2021
The number of OPEN BADGES AWARDED 2018 to 2020 nearly doubled – from 24 million to 43 million
Gallagher, 2021
Equity Imperative
Credentialing is an equity issue.
Between 2023 and 2027, 44% of workers’ core required skills are expected to change.
Between 2021 and 2022, job postings for AI generative positions were the fastest growing among the 400,000 postings for tech-related occupations.
In 2023, 73% of companies are using some form of skills-based hiring.
PROCESS
Incremental Credentialing
Incremental credentialing formally captures all types of learning that individuals acquire – in education institutions, in the workplace, or other life experiences.
MOVING THE NEEDLE
To transform the U.S. legacy degree system to a nationally recognized incremental credentialing system, Credential As You Go focuses on ten bodies of work
FRAMEWORK
Incremental Credentialing Framework
The incremental credentialing process formally credentials learning that individuals acquire along the way so that they can be recognized for employment and further education. The six approaches provide ways to develop and implement incremental credentials.