State Approaches to Short-term Postsecondary Credentials: A recent report from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education discusses how states have been investing in and overseeing short-term credentials, highlighting existing challenges and gaps in state policies.

The report identifies several different policy levers, such as state financial aid and quality standards, and describes why these levers are critical to quality in short-term postsecondary credentials. The publication also shares state initiatives and resources that states can draw upon to improve their work. Recommendations are also made for future research, such as the impact of artificial intelligence or student definitions of success, and areas for state policy building like data collection and student education and career navigation.   

Community Colleges Advancing Economic Mobility: The Project on Workforce at Harvard University and the Education Design Lab released a report examining how community colleges are utilizing labor market information (LMI) and emerging technologies, such as generative AI, to improve the economic outcomes of underserved students. Researchers studied four minority-serving community colleges and identified promising practices at each institution. 

While each college has unique programs and areas of focus, several trends did emerge across the colleges, including the important role and limitations of LMI as well as the growing role of data dashboards and career coaching platforms. The findings also suggest that other tools like campus communications systems and case management software can help cash-strapped institutions streamline their work. 

Forging Partnerships to Align Education and Industry for the Workforce of Tomorrow: A report from the Business-Higher Education Forum discusses skill shortages and challenges identified by workforce and education leaders alongside the need for stronger partnerships between business and higher education. 

Sixty-two percent of employers reported that their industry faces challenges when seeking out the talent with skills needed for today’s workplace. Employers also reported significant disconnects in three general areas of skills: 

• Durable Skills: Sixty-two percent of employers report difficulty with finding entry-level candidates proficient in durable skills like teamwork and communication. 
• Business Skills: Sixty-five percent of employers struggle finding candidates with digital literacy and data proficiency skills. 
• Technical Skills: Sixty-six percent of employers struggle with finding technical skills talent for current and growing roles. 

The report ends with recommendations for overcoming challenges in forming and maintaining partnerships between businesses and higher education institutions. They include establishing a consensus on skills definitions, improving methods of assessing skills and being transparent on goals. 

How Credit for Prior Learning Can Help Older Adults and Veterans: A report by the Council for Adult and Experimental Learning (CAEL) and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) explains why postsecondary institutions should take more action in developing CPL policies for older adults and veterans. Older adults often need to upskill for job security and growth, and with the U.S. military providing significant educational and work opportunities, it is important that postsecondary institutions consider how adults and veterans can translate their experiences for credit. 

Researchers analyzed data from more than 230,000 adult learners at 72 postsecondary institutions and found that 43% of service members (active military and veterans) utilized CPL policies to some degree, compared to 3% for civilians. Adult learners who engaged in CPL completed their degrees faster and had higher retention and completion rates compared to adults that did not. CPL also saved students a significant amount of money and time: $1,500 to $10,200, depending on the sector, and 9-14 months of time for students who earned 12 or more CPL credits. These findings support previous research by CAEL, which found that service members with CPL credits had higher completion rates than veterans without CPL credits.