Credential As You Go Selects Central for 2023 Cohort for Expansion and Adoption Initiative

ANN ARBOR & MCPHERSON — Credential As You Go today announced its 2023 Cohort of organizations to join the incremental credentialing initiative, including Central Christian College of Kansas. This new expansion and adoption work is supported by a grant from Walmart.

Twenty-eight applicants were selected from the Credential as You Go RFP Expansion and Adoption Initiative announced in September 2022. The 2023 Cohort includes seven private four-year colleges and universities, eight community colleges, nine public universities, two public systems of higher education, and two certifying organizations. Two minority-serving institutions (MSI) or Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), and several institutions serving primarily an adult learner population are included in the 2023 Cohort: American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), Bay Path University, Bryan University, Central Christian College of Kansas, Cleveland State University, Colorado School of Mines, College of Westchester, Credit for Prior Learning Assessment Network (C-PLAN), Minnesota State Colleges & Universities, D’Youville University, Elon University (2 projects), Florida Gulf Coast University, Harford Community College, Houston Community College, Huntington Junior College, Kennesaw State University, Louisiana State University (LSU) Online & Continuing Education, Miami University Regionals, Minneapolis College, Montgomery County Community College, SUNY Onondaga Community College, Purdue University Global, SUNY Westchester Community College, Unity College, University of Hawaii System, University of Missouri – St. Louis, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, and Western Colorado Community College.

The Credential As You Go initiative focuses on informing and facilitating the development of an incremental credentialing system, recognizing the value in many types of quality credentials, including degrees, certificates, industry certifications, licenses, badges, and microcredentials. These credentials – and others – document an individual’s learning, and are awarded by many types of providers, including community and technical colleges, four-year colleges and universities, third-party organizations, employers, and the military and state licensing boards. The initiative has many components, all needed to create a nationally recognized, incremental credentialing system. These include a national campaign to build understanding and support, research to build the evidence for the new system, technical assistance and tools and resources, commitment to equity and inclusion, policy changes, and connections with many related initiatives that are also working to improve the nation’s learn-and-work ecosystem.

Credential As You Go kicked off in the fall of 2021, and in 2022 initiated work within three state systems of higher education in Colorado, North Carolina, and New York. With the addition of these new partners, Credential As You Go will more than double the number of participating institutions and organizations.

Central Christian College of Kansas is excited for this opportunity as it continues to pursue traditional and alternative avenues to fulfill its vision of providing transformational educational opportunities rooted in Christ. This partnership will enable the College to expand support to residential and online students as well as local industries with continuing education, certifications, and professional development opportunities.

“We are excited to partner with Credential As You Go as we launch our credentialing and badging initiatives at Central Christian College of Kansas.  Learners from across the globe can add badges and credentials alike to their virtual backpacks and briefcases while studying here at Central or out in the marketplace to strengthen their resumes, knowledge, and skill set. Transformational learning is a cornerstone of Central’s vision for our learners as they prepare for the workforce vocationally and through continued professional development,“ shared Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Lara Vanderhoof.

“We see the potential to expand incremental credentialing through these new partnerships and the number of organizations interested in getting involved,” said Shannon Rowan, senior manager, opportunity at Walmart. “This tells us that innovation is happening across academic institutions and education systems. We look forward to seeing how Credential As You Go’s resources and tools support this work.”

“We are excited to include this new cohort to expand the work already underway, leading to a transformation of the credentialing system in this country,” emphasized project co-lead, Nan Travers, Director of the Center for Leadership in Credentialing Learning at SUNY Empire State College.

“Our new partners understand the promise of incremental credentialing,” added project co-lead Melissa Goldberg, director of Competencies and Credentials at Corporation for a Skilled Workforce. “Although they are all at various stages of incremental credentialing – some at the design stages and others at early or full stages of implementation– they’re listening to today’s learners and workers and coming up with credentialing plans that will help to close the current gap between education and employment.”

“These new partners reflect the diversity of communities across the country that are stepping up to develop incremental credential pathways for learners,” underscored project co-lead Holly Zanville from the Program on Skills, Credentials & Workforce Policy at George Washington University.

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About Credential As You Go

Credential As You Go is committed to a nationally adopted incremental credentialing ecosystem that improves education and employment outcomes for all learners. Credential As You Go is an initiative and partnership between SUNY Empire State College; the Program on Skills, Credentials & Workforce Policy at George Washington University; and Corporation for a Skilled Workforce.

About Central Christian College of Kansas

Central Christian College of Kansas is a regionally accredited institution offering undergraduate and graduate-level programs. Central strives to offer Christ-centered education for the whole person – heart, mind, soul, and strength. Its history dates back to 1884, and it is located in the friendly town of McPherson, Kansas. Central is a strategically small college that offers over forty areas of residential study and a thriving online program for non-traditional students. To learn more about opportunities to donate go to CCCKFoundation.org