Innovation, Technology and New Economy “Skill Bundles”
Career readiness and employability depend on students’ increased access to skills, knowledge and competencies that enable participation in a fast-changing, technology-driven and increasingly digital economy. These include skills and competencies in information technology, coding, data analytics, innovation and entrepreneurship. Such skills and competencies change quickly and can be inaccessible to students in unrelated majors and degree programs. Institutions should cultivate a lifelong learning orientation, utilize new delivery models and consider new credentials and certifications—as with new non-institutional providers seeking to address increasing demand for such from students, professionals and businesses.
Emerging Credentials & Credentialing Systems
The traditional outputs or “currency” of higher education institutions—degrees, semesters, credit hours and grades—exist in a large and growing marketplace where institutional and non-institutional providers deliver new types of credentials (certificates, licenses, badges, or other sub-degree credentials), many grounded in demonstrated competency. They reflect the demand for just-in-time learning, quality credentials and new credential systems to keep pace with changing industries and professions—and which are transparent, portable, stackable, labor market relevant, recognize workplace learning and which create pathways to further postsecondary education.