E&W Blog

Key legislation, like the enactment of Workforce Pell Grants in the Republicans’ recent Working Families Tax Cuts, will further the growth of short-term credentials and work-based learning.

Today, the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing on how Learning Employment Records (LERs) can be a key tool for navigating changes in the job market.


Subcommittee Chairman Burgess Owens (R-UT) started the hearing by discussing how LERs are bridging the skills gap by bringing greater clarity to both sides of the labor market—helping workers identify opportunities and employers find the right talent. 

“With over one million unique credentials available, pathway options for learners can be confusing. LERs help solve this problem. They give learners clear insight into the skills needed for that first job and what’s needed to continue advancement in their careers. LERs will bring greater clarity to both sides of the labor market—helping workers identify opportunities and employers find the right talent,” he said. 

Witnesses highlighted how LERs help Americans find jobs. 

“The 43 million Americans with some college but no degree represent a vast underutilized talent pool. With effective LERs, these individuals can demonstrate the skills they already have, even without completing a degree. Workers in declining industries can identify transferable skills that may allow them to enter a growing sector,” said Mr. Greg DiDonato, Vice President of Business Development at EBSCO Information Services.


Rep. James Moylan (R-GU) discussed with Mr. Alex Kaplan, Advisor at the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, how states, universities, and the private sector are driving innovation. “We’re in the very early days of this and I can’t overemphasize the importance of arriving at a set of standards and protocols to that allow for the interoperability to occur—this will reduce the cost for everybody, and it will accelerate the adoption of them,” said Mr. Kaplan.

 

Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC) asked Mr. Scott Pulsipher, President of Western Governors University, how students at his university are utilizing LERs. “The number one thing they are using is the career navigation capabilities that it now affords them. So now they know they have a degree or credential, but what they don’t directly know is ‘what are all the jobs for which my particular credential…am I already able to apply for because I can already demonstrate the readiness?’…They are getting greater control of their career navigation,” Mr. Pulsipher explained.

Bottom line: As we shift away from the 'college-for-all' mentality and toward a skills-first approach, Committee Republicans are seeking to support the rise of alternative pathways.