Learners and workers too often don’t know which credentials and skills lead to their desired learning and career outcomes.

There are over 1 million unique credentials offered in the U.S. With so many credentials to choose from, people get lost and lose out on opportunity.

With limited information on skills, employers are unable to understand what skills workers actually bring to a job and tend to over-rely on degrees to select candidates.

Educators are increasingly under pressure to ensure that their programs help students succeed in the workplace, which can be challenging when they don’t have reliable access to information from employers about the skills needed.

Not only do states have responsibility for education and workforce training, but they have also invested in data systems for decision making in education and labor market improvements.

State leaders are in a unique position to require that LERs include transparent, interoperable information about credentials, skills, and experience and make these digital records foundational in their education and workforce strategies.

State leaders can build a culture that encourages state government, employers, and education and training providers to work in a coordinated and aligned fashion to improve data transparency in learning and career systems, including LERs issued to individuals.  

LERs empower people with control over records of their own achievements, offering transformative opportunities to connect learning with careers and to improve the outcomes of investments in education and workforce development. 

New LER technologies enable credential, employment, and skill data to be aggregated, analyzed, and made actionable for career success.