The progress and promise of learning and employment records

SkillsFWD funds scalable, proof-of-concept projects in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania that are working to fundamentally change how learners and earners are matched with opportunities. SkillsFWD grantees are at the forefront of implementing learning and employment records that enable better communication of skills between learners, education providers and employers. 

Through the first year of the SkillsFWD grant period, these grantees have engaged in a robust research and discovery process to document progress and reveal trends that may indicate effective practices that grantees and others in the ecosystem can leverage in their future work. A key part of this work is reporting on quantitative metrics documenting outcomes of their work throughout the grant period. 

As of September 2024, seven SkillsFWD project teams had engaged more than 167,000 learners and 304 employers in their projects. Through this engagement, these project teams have issued more than 114,000 verifiable digital credentials that give learners the ability to showcase their skills and provide new avenues for career growth and education access. The teams have engaged employers across sectors including healthcare, manufacturing and technology.

Dawn Karber, executive director of SkillsFWD, emphasized the initiative’s ongoing impact and potential, “These numbers are a powerful testament to the commitment of the SkillsFWD teams to embrace their roles as trailblazers and reshape the landscape of education and work. Learners and earners are showing us that they’re ready to engage in innovative career pathways and employers are experiencing first-hand the advantages of hiring based on skills, not just educational background. SkillsFWD is building a critically needed foundation to support this transformation.”

LERs are being tested for adding value to employers by improving hiring efficiency, and employee retention and performance while increasing the return on investment of training and development. SkillsFWD project teams work closely with employers to integrate skills-based practices by providing practical resources such as job description generators, technical support and workshops. 

This tailored approach has already yielded promising engagement rates — one particularly successful team reported an 83% success rate in securing employer buy-in. While uptake varies based on target audiences, geographies and industries, early indicators reveal strong interest from employers in leveraging LERs. 

For learners and earners, LERs present a new way to advocate for skills and abilities in a competitive job market. More than 49,000 learners have used LERs to apply for job opportunities or enroll in further education, and 4,300 have leveraged their records in applications for apprenticeships since the beginning of the grant period. The openness to LER adoption reflects an appetite for skills-first opportunities, especially among underrepresented groups who may lack formal credentials but possess relevant and marketable skills.

As SkillsFWD continues its work, it aims to provide a roadmap for a national, interoperable LER ecosystem and a model for how to scale equitable skills-based hiring practices across diverse industries and populations. The early data from SkillsFWD’s work shows the potential for LERs to become an accessible and transformational tool that creates a more balanced and inclusive job market.

“The progress that these teams have made so far is just the beginning. SkillsFWD — and our extensive network of partners — are proving that a skills-first future is possible and that it can be both inclusive and impactful,” said Karber. “We’re building a path forward that values what people can do, not just where they’ve been.”

Stay tuned for more insights and updates from SkillsFWD’s project teams and research and discovery team.