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Education Dive
How many unique credentials are offered in the US?
Natalie Schwartz
Sept. 25, 2019
Dive Brief:
In the U.S., more than 738,000 unique credentials are offered,
according to a new report from Credential Engine, a nonprofit that
tracks the marketplace. Its count includes traditional degrees as well
as badges, certificates, boot camps and other short-term credential
types.
Credential Engine has doubled its count from 2018, when it estimated
there were about 350,000 unique credentials. The larger number this
year is primarily due to the researchers' inclusion of certificates and
badges.
Postsecondary institutions account for about 370,000 unique
credentials, while nonacademic organizations offer 315,000. MOOC
providers and secondary schools account for the rest.
Dive Insight:
The credential marketplace is vast and growing, yet not much is known
about their impact on social mobility or whether they're effective in
closing skills gaps.
"What we still don't know is whether we have enough — or too many —
credentials for a country of our size or if we have the right mix of
programs to meet employer demand," former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and
former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan wrote in the foreword of
the report.
The report also notes there's a dearth of research on nondegree
credentials in particular. Although some early evidence suggests
short-term programs can boost earnings and help students land a job,
others note their outcomes can "vary tremendously."
That lack of information can harm students. For instance, they may
pursue and complete credentials only to find out they aren't recognized
by local employers.
"The number of credentials that might exist within a particular field
is just daunting," said Scott Cheney, executive director of Credential
Engine, in an interview with Education Dive.
Even so, there's a push to extend Pell Grants to programs as short as
eight weeks and to use state funding to help students earn nondegree
credentials.
Traditional colleges and universities are also embedding short-term
programs within their offerings. For example, some have launched shared
credentials that local employers recognize or allowed students to roll
badges issued by employers into credit for degree programs. And others
have teamed with tech giants and other types of companies to craft
custom curricula.
"A lot of employers are actively working with education providers to
create the custom add-ons to existing credentials to make sure that
they meet their specific needs at any particular time," Cheney said.
That's why Credential Engine and others are hoping to bring more
transparency to the credential marketplace. An accurate estimate of the
available credentials marks an essential first step, but providers need
to be able to communicate their value in a standardized way.
To that end, Credential Engine has partnered with six other education
companies to help colleges and other providers translate data about
their programs in a common language and publish them in a national,
cloud-based registry.
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