ACT Ready for Work
Podcast Episode 2

Credentialing and Competency as Currency
 

Tune in to see the impact that credentials have on education and workforce and economic development. Learn how The Competency Project is on a mission to use underlying competency as currency in education and in the labor market. The episode provides tools that can be leveraged to level the playing field, make better use of workforce data, and make one-to-one comparisons.

Credentials are a way for individuals to communicate technical expertise. In this episode, we sit down with Katie Hall, director of The Competency Project at the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, to talk about all things credentialing. She provides color around these instruments that are used to signify industry-validated expertise – from the current state of competencies to the challenges faced by all stakeholders in workforce and education today. Looking back to the purpose and history of credentials helps point toward a transparent and competency-based solution for the future. 

The challenges of credentialing are felt by everyone involved in workforce development. Because so many credentials exist across a wide range of industries, it’s difficult to understand what they all mean. Layer in the fact that there isn’t consistency across industries, or even within industries, or across geographies. Keeping in mind the purpose of credentialing can help point toward a solution.  

In the market, all participants find it hard to understand what the transactional value of a credential is. Employers find it difficult to hire based on credentials if they can’t translate it to specific skills. Educators don’t always know which credential will be the most important in the market. Learners and workers simply don’t know where to begin. Ultimately, it’s difficult to keep track, in real time, of which credentials are generating the most value in the labor market. 

Download Show Notes

Join the Conversation

The Competency Project: @atomiceconomy  

Corporation of Skilled Workforce: @skilledwork_org 

Jasen Jones: @JasenCJones 

ACT Twitter: @act 

ACT LinkedIn: ACT Workforce Solutions
#ACTReadyForWork #ACTWorkforce

Katie Hall

About Katie Hall

Katie directs the work of The Competency Project, a center within the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW), dedicated the acquisition, recognition and exchange of knowledge and skills in the global economy. With a focus on preparing for the future of learning and work, the center team supports a range of stakeholders with a mix of research, consulting, technical assistance, workshops and custom tools. Katie regularly speaks and writes on a variety of topics including technology applications in education, AI/automation impact on the workforce, credentialing and international cooperation. Katie is also the Director of the Trans-Atlantic Technology and Training Alliance (TA3) and previously directed CSW’s communications. 

Prior to joining CSW, she worked in the White House Office of Global Communications assisting the administration with strategic messaging following Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. She spent four years managing high volume document cases with the White-Collar Crime Division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and three years working on budget management and technology integration with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. 

She is currently pursuing her MBA at MIT and holds an MPA from the University of Michigan and a BA in Political Science from Hope College. Katie played and coached competitive volleyball for 20 years (including a stint in Europe), and has traveled to 31 countries and 31 states.