Several studies have shown that, for workers, the return on investment in incremental credentials diverge by race/ethnicity. In California, white and Latino men who earned short-term certificates (those requiring less than a year of full-time study) saw stronger returns than did Black men, while Black men and women both fared better from long-term certificates (which require at least a year, but less than two years, of full-time study).
Another study found similar results, showing Latina/Latino workers with certificates earned slightly less than white workers with certificates. Still, Black workers with certificates had the lowest earnings among workers of any race/ethnicity. While more research is needed on incremental credentialing outcomes by race, these insights are concerning because Black and Latina/Latino students are much more likely to enroll in and complete credentialing programs. While only one in five white students completed such credentials, one in three Black and Latina/Latino students completed.
Credential As You Go has acquired three phases of funding to date. Lumina Foundation funded Phase I, resulting in the Incremental Credential Framework for testing. The Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education funds Phase II (Grant R305T210063), which focuses on rapid prototyping of and research on incremental credentials with a national campaign. An anonymous private donor fund at the Program on Skills, Credentials & Workforce Policy at George Washington University funds the development of the prototype Learn and Work Ecosystem Library. Walmart funds Phase III, which focuses on systems change for expansion and sustainability of incremental credentials. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of Lumina Foundation, Institute of Education Sciences, the U.S. Department of Education, Walmart, or George Washington University.
