The features of Learn As You Go credentials promote more equitable outcomes, including the ability for credentials to stand on their own or be connected to other credentials. They can also target specific areas of employability and/or support nontraditional learners such as Black students seeking bachelor’s degrees—who are twice as likely as other bachelor’s students to have additional responsibilities as caregivers or full-time workers.
One example, Red Rocks Community College has launched the Infant/Toddler Childhood Certificate, offering college credit for demonstrated competency in the workplace for learners enrolled in the Child care Development Specialist Apprenticeship. This program benefits learners as it significantly reduces the time and cost of earning a college degree and it offers equitable access to higher education for underserved populations.
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.
