States have invested significantly in non-degree credentials (NDCs) to meet their growing needs for a diverse and skilled workforce. Good data on NDCs ensure that public investments help workers, students, businesses, and policymakers meet workforce goals. These stakeholders need good information about how people are doing in the labor market after they get a non-degree credential so that they can make decisions about which programs to invest resources in. They also need good information on how programs work for people who face structural barriers to opportunity so that everyone has a fair chance to succeed.
NSC’s new report Charting a Course to Quality guides states in developing robust data ecosystems for evaluating NDCs. The publication outlines key elements of a robust data ecosystem, actions policymakers can take, and real-world examples. State policymakers and advocates can use this publication to chart a course to a robust NDC data ecosystem – one that can measure and provide information on the quality of NDCs and whether they are leading to positive and equitable outcomes for people.
NSC’s engagement with state higher ed, workforce, data, and college leaders have revealed a set of common challenges tied to NDC data:
State leaders also affirmed that as states increasingly invest in NDCs and pathways, it is essential to equip decision makers with comprehensive data to understand the impact of those credentials and the outcomes for students and workers who earn them.
Many states around the country are progressing towards expanding their investments in and capacity for data collection, analysis, and reporting related to NDC quality and learner outcomes. The main report and the appendix of state examples sample what twelve states are doing and are informed by NSC’s engagement with more than fifteen states. The examples don’t represent the full extent of the work states are doing to develop data ecosystems, they show how states are approaching this work, providing a model for others aiming for a more systematized and transparent NDC ecosystem.
Starting in September 2024, the Arkansas Division of Higher Education (ADHE) will begin collecting more robust noncredit data from Arkansas colleges and universities.
Over the past two years, key stakeholders in Arkansas have been building a case for enhancing noncredit data collection by identifying data gaps which were hampering the state’s ability to understand its noncredit education and training system. These gaps made it difficult to understand which programs and students were eligible for a state grant program called the Arkansas Workforce Challenge (which provides up to $800 for students in eligible programs in health care, IT, and manufacturing). Efforts to increase the scholarship amount were stalled due to the inability to fully describe award recipients pursuing noncredit programs. To address this, ADHE, ARData, Arkansas Community Colleges, and institutional leaders are collaborating to improve noncredit data collection statewide.
Additionally, Arkansas developed a data-driven strategic plan to inform workforce development and career education goals, which are outlined in Executive Order 23-16, signed by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and coordinated by the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet and the chief workforce officer.
The Chief Data Officer’s Office (ARData) is responsible for maintaining a longitudinal data system that helps state leaders and service providers develop an improved understanding of individual outcomes resulting from education-to-workforce pipelines, identify opportunities for improvement by using real-time information, and continuously align programs and resources to the evolving economy.
The goal of improving the collection and management of noncredit student data is aligned with broader state goals to expand the State Longitudinal Data System to include noncredit and other nontraditional postsecondary education data, so that all postsecondary pathways are fully represented, and to enable greater research and consumer data access via publishing to a credential registry. It is also motivated by the desire for changes to the state community college funding formula, which currently does not account for noncredit education and training.
ARData also has responsibility for collecting and reporting on various types of non-degree and noncredit postsecondary education and training data, including through a public interactive reporting tool MyARDashboard. Most data can be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and gender, with ongoing efforts for further disaggregation. ARData has responsibility under the Arkansas Workforce Strategy for the implementation and support of Learning and Employment Records (LERs). Since 2020, Arkansas has been establishing an ecosystem that will support the issuance of LERs, leveraging governance and interoperable data infrastructure foundation, which includes streamlined data-sharing agreements and a Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) credential registry.
Governors, state agency cabinet officials, and legislators can take specific actions to develop each element of a robust state NDC data ecosystem. Depending on where they sit in state government, state policymakers can use legislation, executive orders, state budgets, and official agency policies or interagency memoranda of understanding to codify and direct resources toward the creation of a data ecosystem. Some important policy and system development steps include:
Building a robust credential data ecosystem is a journey, and each state will progress differently based on their policy landscape and data capacity and unique context. These policy development and ecosystem building actions are a good starting point for what policymakers, state agencies, and advocates should keep in mind.
Charting a Course to Quality: A Navigator’s Handbook to a Robust Non-Degree Credential Data Ecosystem, is the third publication in a series that lays the groundwork for understanding and improving access to high-quality NDCs. Along with The Non-Degree Credential Quality Imperative and State Financial Aid for Non-degree Credentials: Models and Considerations for Policy and Program Design, this series offers a comprehensive plan for states committed to advancing educational opportunities for all.
For more Making College Work updates and information on our Expanding College and Career Possibilities (ECCP) initiative and related efforts, follow our Making College Work Campaign to receive the newsletter and updates. For questions or to learn more, reach out to Lindsey Reichlin Cruse at lindseyrc@nationalskillscoalition.org.
