Acquiring education or training beyond high school is increasingly important for jobs in the United States. The growth of occupations requiring postsecondary education and training and the emergence of new workplace technologies that may require continuous reskilling and upskilling have increased interest in stackable credentials, in which a short-term credential builds toward a higher-level credential. As workforce needs continue to evolve, colleges and other postsecondary education providers are offering a wide variety of credentials, including college certificates, industry certifications or licenses, apprenticeships, and associate degrees. Drawing from a mixed-methods evidence base of prior research, this paper presents nine promising practices that educational institutions and states can use to design and implement stackable credentials, with case study examples illustrating each practice.
This publication is part of the RAND expert insights series. The expert insights series presents perspectives on timely policy issues.
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