Roles and Workstreams

Developing

Contribute to communities that are developing open standards to enable interoperability of credentials across education providers and employers, credential and skills transparency, and individual data control

Work with policymakers and standard-setters on data infrastructure and expectations

Issuing

Build platforms for issuing LERs that adopt recognized standards for interoperability

Expand capabilities to link learning and credential data with employment data

Embed skills data in the digital credentials where available

Using

Gather feedback from learners, earners, and employers to continuously improve solutions

Develop managed or hosted issuing solutions for issuers who don’t require operating their own issuing service

Adopting

Encourage the use of community developed open standards to promote integration with employer and education provider systems

Consider the interoperability use cases where education and employment data are used (e.g. background check forms, scholarship organizations, state common college applications, FAFSA, state licensure boards, apprenticeships, etc.)

Action Areas

There are key action areas that we believe LER ecosystem stakeholders should focus on to make significant progress towards adoption in service of equity and opportunity. All action areas rely on the participation of stakeholders in pilots, research and advocacy initiatives.

Promoting Adoption

Identify the advantages of using LERs, as compared to current practices, towards stakeholder goals and agendas. Define metrics for success and develop data driven value propositions.

Implement software that issues, stores, shares, and/or verifies and consumes LERs

Contribute to the development of open standards that enable interoperability of credentials across credentialing organizations and employers and promote credential and skills transparency and individual data control

Develop resources and informative materials to help issuers, learners and employers better understand how to effectively use LERs

““We [Participate] have been issuing open digital credentials for more than a decade, and have recently launched the ability to issue VCs and push them to digital wallets with the DCC’s support. While earlier versions of digital badges were reported as useful by learners and earners across our partner organizations, it was the launch of VCs and the ability to push into a wallet that seemed to spark excitement and the “Aha” moment of what these credentials could do to unlock present and future learning and work opportunities!””
— Julie Keane, Chief Learning Officer, Participate

Business Case

Market leadership - provide an innovative solution that will shift the workforce into a new era and open up new markets

Social Case

Increasing economic opportunity - be a part of creating the infrastructure and systems that will accelerate solutions adoption

Championing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) - sit at the heart of practical, yet paradigm-shifting solutions that empower diverse talent to access both quality jobs and higher earning potential

LER Technology Providers