Workcred in Action: Article on Quality Credentials Featured in SES Journal, Standards Engineering

6/19/2018


A recent article by Roy Swift, Ph.D., executive director of Workcred, an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) affiliate, was published in the May/June edition of The Society of Standards Professionals (SES) Journal, Standards Engineering, and explains how raising the quality of credentials will increase the effectiveness, efficiency, and performance of the labor market and improve the quality of the workforce.

The article entitled, "Quality Credentials or a Needle in a Haystack: Which is Harder to Find?," draws from comprehensive research on the state of the workforce and the nation's skills mismatch, as employers struggle to find staff with the skills and competencies they need. As workforce credentials are increasingly recognized as a solution to resolve the mismatch, their value also rises.

Workcred, which is dedicated to strengthening workforce quality by improving the credentialing system, ensuring its ongoing relevance, and preparing employers, workers, educators, and governments to use it effectively, just completed a research study exploring manufacturing credentialing trends in an effort to understand how credentials impact the state of manufacturing competitiveness and its skills mismatch. In partnership with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), Workcred examined the quality, market value, and effectiveness of manufacturing credentials.

The final report is expected to be published in mid-2018 with recommendations to improve understanding about the content, use, and value of manufacturing credentials; to expand the use of quality standards; and to strengthen the relationships between manufacturers, education and training providers, accreditors, and credentialing bodies.

The SES Journal article also highlights Workcred's partnership with the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) and Jobs for the Future on a U.S. Department of Labor grant, to support CEO's Economic Opportunity Project, which helps young adults recently released from incarceration to gain skills and work experience needed for a successful transition to a stable, productive life.

For more on Workcred, and its latest efforts, visit Workcred.org. View the SES Journal article.