Low Pay or Low Value? Rethinking Credentials of Value
Hear how state and regional leaders are building pathways to essential roles in rural and low-income regions.
As states decide which credentials to fund and scale, earnings data alone can’t distinguish low value from low pay. A program with weak wage outcomes because of low-quality training or misaligned competencies looks the same as one preparing certified nursing assistants, home health aides or early childhood educators: high-quality training for essential work the labor market undervalues.
We’ll share clear criteria for assessing credentials’ value to learners and communities, grounded in more than 100 interviews with certificate earners, employers and college staff. We’ll also discuss what those criteria mean for states, regions and colleges deciding when to:
Focus on stackable pathways
Target financial aid and earn-and-learn models
Redesign or restructure programs
Look to community colleges for delivery
Leaders from California, North Carolina and Colorado will share how their states, regions and colleges are putting these ideas into practice, building the workforce for essential roles without community benefit coming at workers’ expense.
State, regional and college leaders, intermediaries and accreditors will leave with defensible criteria and practical levers for prioritizing credentials based on a fuller definition of value.
Can't attend the webinar? You should still register—all registrants will receive a recording of the webinar and a copy of the presentation slides.
