TEN_25-19_Attachment_1.pdf

ETA Advisory File Text

I-1 Attachment I Credential Resources a. Defining Credentials . Section 3 52 of WIOA defines recognized postsecondary credential as a credential consisting of an industry -recognized certificate or certification a certificate of completion of an apprenticeship a license recognized by the State involved or Federal Government or an associate or baccalaureate degree . Recognized postseco ndary credentials are awarded in recognition of an individual s attainment of measurable technical or industry occupational skills necessary to gain employment or advance within an industry occupation see TEGL 10 -16 Change 1 Performance Accountability Guidance for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act WIOA Title I Title II Title III and Title IV Core Programs . These technical or industry occupational skills generally are based on standards developed or endorsed by businesses or industry associ ations. Certificates awarded by LWDBs are not included in this definition nor are work readiness certificates because neither type of certificate is recognized industry -wide nor do they document measurable technical or industry occupational skills nece ssary to gain employment or advance within an occupation. Recognized postsecondary credentials reflect technical or industry occupational skills for the specific industry occupation rather than general skills related to safety hygiene etc. even if suc h general skills certificates are broadly required to qualify for entry -level employment or advancement in employment. There is no comprehensive national list of approved credentials. H owever this attachment provides detailed information on understanding and defining credentials tools for identifying credentials acquiring and leveraging credentials available indicators of quality and value and examples of existing credential models. The following sections include information on a variety of online resources and tools for identifying and evaluating specific credentials. Recognized Postsecondary Credentials Recognized postsecondary credentials are an attestation of qualification or competence issued to a n individual by a third party such as an educational institution or an industry or occupational certifying organization with the relevant authority or expertise to issue such a credential. The terms most commonly used for educational credentials are diploma certificate and degree . A variety of different public and private entities issue recognized postsecondary credentials and e xamples include but are not limited to A state educational agency or a state agency responsible for administering vo cational and technical education within a state An institution of higher education described in Section 102 of the Higher Education Act 20 USC 1002 that is qualified to participate in the student I-2 financial assistance programs authorized by title IV of that Act. This includes community colleges proprietary schools and all other institutions of higher education that are eligible to participate in federal student financial aid programs An institut ion of higher education that is formally controlled or has been formally sanctioned or chartered by the governing body of an Indian tribe or tribes A professional industry or employer organization e.g. National Institute for Automotive Service Excel lence certification National Institute for Metalworking Skills Inc. Machining Level I credential or product manufacturer or developer e.g. recognized Information Technology certificat ions such as Microsoft Certified IT Professional MCITP Certified Novell Engineer a Sun Certified Java Programmer etc. using a valid and reliable assessment of an individual s knowledge skills and abilities Employment and Training Administration s ETA Office of Apprenticeship or a State Apprenticeship Ag ency A public regulatory agency which awards a credential upon an individual s fulfillment of educational work experience or skill requirements that are legally necessary for an individual to use an occupational or professional title or to practice an occupation or profession e.g. Federal Aviation Administration aviation mechanic license or a state -licensed asbestos inspector A program that has been approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer education benefits to veterans and other eli gible persons or Job Corps which issues certificates for completing career training programs that are based on industry skills standards and certification requirements. Examples of recognized postsecondary credentials include Associate s degree Bachelor s degree Occupational licensure Occupational certificate including Registered Apprenticeship Programs and career and technical education educational certificates Occupational certification and Other recognized certificates of industry occupational skills completion sufficient to qualify for entry -level or advancement in employment . Recognized Secondary Credentials A secondary school diploma or alternate diploma commonly referred to as high school diploma is one that is recognized by a State consistent with the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ESEA as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act ESSA . A secondary school equivalency certification signifies that a student has completed t he requirements for a high school education. The types of recognized equivalents for those not covered under ESEA that would satisfy th e credential attainment performance indicator are those recognized by a State. I-3 Examples of secondary school diplomas alternate diplomas and recognized equivalents recognized by individual states include Obtaining certification of attaining passing scores on a State -recognized high school equivalency test Earning a secondary school diploma or State -recognized equivalent through a credit bearing secondary education program sanctioned by State law code or regulation Obtaining certification of passing a State -recognized competency -based assessment and Completion of a specified number of college credits. b. Characteristics of Credentials . Four characteristics that strengthen the value of credentials to individuals and businesses are industry -recognition stackability portability and accreditation. Industry -Recognized An industry -recognized credential is either 1 developed and offered by or endorsed by a nationally - or regionally - recognized industry association or organization representing a sizeable portion of the industry sector or 2 a credential that is sought or accepted by companies within the industry sector for purposes of hiring or recruitment which may include credentials from vendors of certain products. See Attachment III for additional examples of industry -recognized creden tials. In some industry sectors there may be more than one major industry association and these groups may endorse or promote different credentials . Credentials that are sought by individual companies with in an industry may also vary by geographic regio n by company size or the specific product or equipment the company uses. Consequently there may not be a single readily identifiable national credential for all industry sectors or occupations. For example there are hundreds of certifications that ex ist within the information technology IT industry. There are multiple industry associations and there are multiple product vendors that offer occupational certifications. The workforce system operating in a local area needs to work with businesse s to determine what credentials are in demand by local businesse s. However industry -recognized credentials must be occupationally -specific to ensure they recognize technical or occupational skills rather than general skills for any occupation or industry. Stackable A credential is considered stackable when it is part of a sequence of credentials that can be accumulated over time to build up an individual s qualifications and help them to move along a career pathway or career ladder to different and pot entially higher -paying jobs. For example an individual can stack a high school diploma an associate s degree and then typically take two more years of appropriate postsecondary education to attain a bachelor s degree. An individual can also stack a ce rtificate with an apprenticeship and later earn a degree or advanced certification. Some postsecondary institutions I-4 are embedding certifications into their 2 -year and 4 -year degree programs providing academic credit for the certifications toward degree completion .4 Information on identifying career ladders and lattices and related credentials is covered in a later section of this TEN along with examples of some existing industry sectors that are working to identify stackable credentials. Portable A credential is considered portable when it is recognized and accepted as verifying the qualifications of an individual in other settings such as other geographic areas across the country other educational institutions or other industries or businesses . For example Registered Apprenticeship Program RAP Certificates of Completion are considered to be nationally and in some cases internationally portable. Accredited Accreditation by an independent quality -review body is a valuable attribute an d is often required for educational institutions or for specific educational programs in order for students to be eligible for Federal financial aid. Certificates and certifications can be accredited by a variety of accrediting organizations cited below however some valuable credentials offered by industry or professional associations or by product vendors may not be accredited so it is important to look for additional markers of quality or labor market value such as industry -wide recognition prof essional association acceptance or local demand. Th e goal of educational program accreditation is to ensure that the education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality. The U.S. Department of Education maintains a website on Accreditation in the United States at https www2.ed.gov admins finaid accred index.html whi ch provides lists of regional and national accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as reliable authorities concerning the quality of education or training offered by the institutions of higher education or higher education programs they accredit. Note that accredited educational institutions may offer both for -credit and not -for -credit programs. Generally institutions are accredited as a whole however s ome specialized programs require separate program accreditation in addition to being offered by an accredited educational institution. Accreditation also exists in the realm of occupational certification but is less common. There are two main organizations that accredit such certifications or certificates. The accrediting organizations refer to these as personnel certificat ions or certificates since they are awarded to people rather than to products or equipment which can also be certified . 4 Prebil Michael and Mary Alice McCarthy. September 2018. Building Better Degrees Using Industry Certifications Lessons from the Field. New America Foundation. I-5 o The American National Standards Institute ANSI provides accreditation of personnel certifications and certificates. ANSI maintains a Directory of Ac credited Personnel ANSI ISO IEC 17024 Certification Bodies Applicants and Suspended C ertification Bodies online at https www.ansica.org wwwversion2 outside PERdirec tory.asp menuI D 2 . ANSI also maintains a Directory of Accredited Certificate Issuers Applicants and Suspended Issuers online at https www.ansi.org Accreditation credentialing certificate - issuers Directory . o The Institute for Credentialing Excellence ICE National Commission for Certifying Agencies NCCA provides accreditation of personnel certifications and certificates and m aintains a listing of Accredited Certification Programs at https www.credentialingexcellence.org p cm ld fid 121D 2 . o ICE NCCA also has a program to accredit Personnel Certificates online at https www.credentialingexcellence.org p cm ld fid 288 . There are many different types of credentials offered or awarded by various types of organizations and within each category there may be thousands of individual credentials available in the marketplace. Therefore it is important to understand key attributes to compare evaluate and make decisions about selecting credentials to meet business and jobs eeker demand. Th e following section s provide an overview of the various types of credentials and their most significant characteristics including industry -recognition portability stackability and accreditation. c. Characteristics of Educational Diplo mas Degrees and Certificates In today s labor market individuals often need to accumulate or stack credentials to build their competencies to advance within their careers. However e ducational diplomas degrees and c ertificates can vary significantly in terms of the extent to which they are stackable. If an individual earns educational credits for various courses at different institutions not all of the credits may be accepted toward a certain degree - so stacking of educatio nal credits depends on a number of variables including the subject matter how recently they were earned and whether they fu lfill key program requirements. 5 There are also non -credit certificates which may have limited stackability with other educatio nal credentials. Accumulating credit hours outside of an accredited 5 Educational courses are usually expressed in terms of credit hours. A credit hour is de fined by the National Center for Education Statistics for the Integrated Postsecondary Education Survey as A unit of measure representing the equivalent of an hour 50 minutes of instruction per week over the entire term. It is applied toward the total number of credit hours needed for completing the requirements of a degree diploma certificate or other formal award. I-6 educational program may mean that not all of the hours will be counted toward an eventual educational credential . For example an associate s degree from a junior or community college may not always be equivalent to the first two years towards a bachelor s degree and some associate s degree programs that are occupation -specific may not always include all of the general education requirements n ecessary for full transfer credit to a bachelor s degree program . Similarly i f an individual has an associate s degree and then seeks a bachelor s degree in a different field it may require more than two years of additional postsecondary study . This is because there may be may be prerequisites or other core requirements that need to be fulfilled to obtain the degree in a different concentration. Educational certificates and degrees from accredited institutions are typically portable throughout the Unite d States. On -line Tools to Find Educational Programs National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator web site https nces.ed.gov collegenavigator ETA s CareerOneStop Local Training Finder https www.careeronestop.org Toolkit Training find -local -training.aspx College Scorecard https collegescorecard.ed.gov Credential Engine https credentialengine.org State Eligible Training Provider Lists ETPL The list of ETPs is prominently posted on state and local workforce websites and there is a tool in CareerOneStop to help locate those sites https www.careeronestop.org LocalHelp EmploymentAndTraining find - WIOA -training -programs.aspx Apprenticeship.gov Partner Finder https www.apprenticeship.gov partner -finder d. Characteristics of Other Certificates Professional or industry association s may award occupational certificates . The terms certificates and certifications are often confused. Some of the major distinctions are Certificates are completion -based and denote participation in a defined course of study . Certificates are often related to discrete skills within one or more industries or occupations such as writing leadership etc. . Such certificates may have value and are occasionally required however as ex plained in TEGL 10 -16 Change 1 they are typically not eligible to be counted towards the credential attainment indicator since they do not prepare individuals with the competencies required to perform a specific occupation . Examples include certificates for discrete skills such as general hygiene handwashing general safety cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR work readiness and food - handling certificates. I-7 Certificat ions attest to attainment of competence through a rigorous examination or demonstrat ion and may also have a work experience requirement . Certifications are usually considered to be more rigorous and indicate a higher level of competence or proficiency than a certificate. e. Characteristics of Apprenticeship Certificates The Registered Apprenticeship Program RAPs model has traditionally been used by the construction industry for the past 80 years in the United States but has expanded to a multitude of industries over the past 10 years due to its success. RAPs include two types of c redentials for workers 1 Certificate s of Completion of Apprenticeship and 2 Interim Credentials. Certificates of Completion of Apprenticeship for RAP s are issued by the DOL or a federally recognized State Apprenticeship Agency SAA and convey occup ational proficiency signifying that the apprentice has successfully completed all training requirements associated with the occupation . RAP Certificates of Completion of Apprenticeship possess the following characteristics Industry -Recognize d RA P Certificates of Completion of Apprenticeship are widely recognized by employers because the qualifications and training content are defined and verified by the specific industry and sponsoring company. Stackable RA P Certificates of Completion of Apprenticeship address stackability in several ways 1 Through the utilization of interim credentials in some circumstances 6 2 Through the transition from an apprentice to a skilled worker who has completed occupational training requirements 3 Through the attainment of educational credit for portions of apprenticeship programs 4 Through the attainment of college credit in certain instances 7 and 6 Issuance of interim credentials is determined by the apprenticeship program sponsor s training approach there are three types of t raining approaches time -based competency -based and hybrid a combination of the two . Interim credentials are only issued in competency -based and hybrid training approaches however n ot all competency -based or hybrid programs will include interim cre dentials. 7 Over 335 institutions of higher education are members of the Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium RACC . These institutions have agreed to accept the RA P Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship towards the attainment of a specifie d number of college credits. In some cases therefore an individual with a Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship may only need a few more courses in order to satisfy requirements for an Associate s degree. For more information on the RACC please see https www.doleta.gov oa racc.cfm . I-8 5 Through the attainment of related occupational licenses or occupational certifications as part of a RAP . Portable RA P Certificates of Completion are nationally portable. They have relevance throughout the United States Canada and in some European countries. Interim credentials are also issued by the Registration Agency either DOL or a federally -recognized SAA upon request of the appropriate sponsor as certification of competency attainment by an apprentice. These credentials allow for incremental recogni tion of an apprentice s increasing knowledge skills and abilities which may be particularly important in longer -term RA Ps. The utilization of interim credentials also recognizes the fact that not all apprentices will complete their apprenticeship progr am and offers opportunities for recognition of what these individuals have learned. Note that if an apprenticeship program s Standards of Apprenticeship do not include provisions for the issuance of interim credentials for specific components of the oc cupation the Registration Agency with which the program is registered may not issue interim credentials to apprentices registered with that program. RA P interim credentials possess the following characteristics Industry -Recognized RAP interim creden tials are issued by the Registration Agency upon request by the sponsor as certification of competency attainment by an apprentice . Stackable Interim credentials represent a pathway to the RA P Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship . They also can translate into employment opportunities because interim credentials specifically convey competency in a particular area s of the occupation. Portable Interim credentials are portable because they convey a level of competency and profi ciency allowing a worker to broaden employment prospects in the industry. Attainment of an RAP interim credential is considered a positive outcome on the WIOA Credential Attainment Rate performance indicator. In March 2020 DOL introduced the Industr y-Recognized Apprenticeship Program IRAP a new model for apprenticeship . IRAP s are high -quality apprenticeship programs recognized as such by a Standards Recognition Entity SRE pursuant to the DOL s standards. These programs provide individuals with opportunities to obtain workplace -relevant knowledge and progressively advancing skills. IRAPs include a paid -work component and an educational component and result in an industry - recognized credential. An IRAP is developed or delivered by entities such as trade and industry groups corporations non -profit organizations educational institutions unions and joint labor -management organizations. To learn more about IRAPs please visit the IRAP website at https www.apprenticeship.gov industry -recognized - apprenticeship -program . The DOL website http www.apprenticeship.gov provid es com prehensive information for employers job seekers educators or others seeking information on apprenticeships . I-9 f. Characteristics of Occupational Licenses An occupational license is a credential awarded by a government agency that constitutes legal authority to do a specific job. Licenses are based on some combination of degree or certificate attainment certifications assessments or work experience are time - limited and must be renewed periodically. Occupational Licenses are typically Granted by Federal state or local governmental agencies or government - authorized boards Mandatory in the relevant jurisdiction Intended to set professional standard s and ensure safety and quality of work such as medical licenses for doctors Required in addition to other credentials e.g. educational degrees credentials certificate of completion of a registered apprenticeship Defined by laws regulations and ad ministrative procedures Time -limited - occupational licenses must be renewed based on meeting on - going continuous learning or other requirements to maintain the license and Violation of the terms of the license can result in legal action including loss of the license . Occupational licenses are required by governmental entities typically state regulatory bodies before an individual is allowed to be employed in and practice a trade profession or other occupation. Although most occupational licenses are granted by state governments some are granted by certain Federal agencies. State licenses often are not portable since states tend to have state -specific licensing standards. Some states do have reciprocity agreements to recognize licenses f rom other states often only for specific occupations and specific states. For veterans separating military members and military spouses as well as dislocated workers who relocate from one state to another portability of occupational licenses can be a particular issue. Because licensing requirements vary from state to state individuals often have to obtain additional training or re -test to qualify for a license in the new state. There are several interstate licensing compacts for certain occupations where states have joined together to recognize the licenses and permit the employment of individuals who are licensed in other states that are members of the compact. For example 32 states are members of the Nurse Licensure Compact under the sponsorsh ip of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and 18 states are members of the Physical Therapy Compa ct led by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy . The Department of Labor has provided support for initiatives in a number of states to review and streamline occupational licensing through a series of ETA grant awards made in PY 2016 2017 and 2018. The objective of these efforts is to reduce a range o f barriers to entry into licensed occupations and to increase portability of occupational licenses from state to state. A grant to a partnership formed by the National Conference of State Legislatures the Council of State Governments and the National G overnors I-10 Association supported formation of an Occupational Licensing Multi -State Consortium. The partners provided technical assistance consultation with subject matter experts convening s and facilitation for teams from the 15 states participating in the consortium. The partners also conducted research and created databases of information on occupational licensing. These resources can be found at https ncsl.org stateslicense . Eight sta tes also received individual grants to address occupational license access and portability. Most of those states also participated in the consortium. Finally grantees in Kentucky Indiana and Pennsylvania also received grants with a specific focus on e xpediting the qualification and civilian licensing of transitioning military members. Resources and promising practices from the work of these grantees will be shared with the public workforce system by ETA. Several of these grant efforts continue throug h June 30 2022. The following examples illustrate some of the circumstances that pertain to occupational licenses. At the time of the drafting of this TEN there are approximately 65 federally licensed occupational titles mostly from the Federal Avia tion Administration and the Federal Communications Commission. These Federal occupational licenses are typically portable within the U.S. At the state level there are some occupations that are licensed in virtually every state and some that are licensed in only a few states. The occupation of Licensed Practical Nurse is licensed in virtually every state although the title used in some states is Licensed Vocational Nurse. Home Health Aides on the other hand are licensed in a handful of states. There ma y be slight variations in the licensure requirements among these states that would impact potential portability of the credential among them. However if a person licensed in one of those states moves to a state that does not license Home Health Aides po rtability will not be a concern. There are national occupational certifications available for Home Health Aides also. Since licenses are occupation -specific they are not stackable except to the extent that experience in that occupation serves as a prerequisite or a step up to another occupation in a career ladder. However the new occupation may also require its own oc cupational license with its own specific requirements. For many occupations an individual can continue to stack certifications and other training on top of a license. Licensed nurses for example can gain additional credentials beyond the initial licen se. On -line Tools for Licens es CareerOneStop Licensed Occupations Finder https www.careeronestop.org Toolkit Training find -licenses.aspx . This online tool contains federal and state -provided information including License title also coded to Occupational Information Network Standard Occupational Classification O NET -SOC licensing agency name address and contact information including Internet links if available license description and applicable fees and examination requirements where available . The Army Navy Air Force Marine Corps and Coast Guard each have established Credentialing Opportunities On -Line COOL programs to help Service members identify pay for and attain civilian credentials I-11 occupational certifications licenses and apprenticeships that may be relevant to their military training and experience. Information about the programs is disseminated on each of the Services own COOL websites and the Department of Defense DoD has an umbrella site providing a single point of access to the Services COOL websites. The COOL websites o Provide background i nformation about civilian credentialing and how it relates to military training and experience o Identify occupational credentials related to military occupations including detailed credential requirements and exam preparation resources o Identify gaps betwee n military training and experience and civilian credentialing requirements along with resources to fill gaps and facilitate credentialing o Provides information to non -military stakeholders on credentialing of Service members and Veterans The Department of Defense has also created a COOL website for DoD civilian employees that provides similar information . o DoD COOL https www.cool.osd.mil o DoD Civilian COOL https www.cool.osd.mil dciv index.htm o Army COOL https www.cool.osd.mil army o Department of Navy COOL https www.cool.navy.mil Navy COOL https www.cool.navy.mil usn Marine Corps COOL https www. cool.navy.mil usmc o Air Force COOL https afvec.us.af.mil afve c Public COOL o Coast Guard COOL https www.cool.osd.mil uscg Military Spouse License Recognition https www.veterans.gov milspouses Many states help licensed military spouses by allowing for expedited applications temporary licenses or license reciprocity. This website provides information to look up applicable provisions by state as well as additional information on the process fo r a military spouse in a licensed occupation to follow when relocating to another state. g. Characteristics of Occupational Certifications from Industry or Professional Associations An occupational certification indicates that the individual has acquired the necessary competencies including knowledge skills and sometimes personal attributes to perform a specific occupation. Occupational certifications are generally I-12 Granted by third -party non -governmental agencies usually associations and by companies which may offer certification on use of their own products either software hardware or equipment Intended to set professional standards for qualifications such as a certification for a crane operator or a Novell Network Certified Engineer Required to be renewed in some way after a certain time period based on meeting certain requirements for renewal Voluntary although state licensure boards and businesse s may specify certifica tion as part of licensing requirements Revocable violation of standards or requirements can result in suspension or revocation of certification Based on standards that are not defined by government laws or regulations Set through a defensible industry -wide process of job analysis or role delineation that results in an outline of required knowledge and skills Based on successful completion of an examination or assessment which indicates mastery of competencies as measured against a defensible set of standards and Predicated on a set amount of work experience or professional practical experience . Certifications issued by national industry or occupational professional associations are typically portable although there can be regional preferences for some certifications based on regional requirements or local business needs . Many occupational certifications require work experience and can only be earned by stacking learning and work experiences and then taking a certification examination and submitting documentation of the pertinent work experience. Certifications are often stackable with educational credentials and with other certifications and are typically por table. On -line Tools for Certifications CareerOneStop Certif ication Finder https www.careeronestop.org Toolkit Training find -certifications.aspx . This tool provides information including the certifying organization s name address and related Web links certification description and certification details such as examination and or work requirements. The tool also contains additional information about each certification to help users evaluate the quality and relevance of various certifications. On the results page in Certification Finder u nder the right -hand column headed Type is an indication of whether the certification is a Core Advanced S pecialty or Product Equipment certification https www.careeronestop.org Toolkit Training find -certifications -help.aspx . In addition there are icons to ind icate various characteristics of certifications I-13 o A indicates those certifications accredited by the American National Standards Institute ANSI o N indicates accreditation by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence National Commissioner for Certif ying Agencies NCCA o M indicates certifications related to military occupations and skillsets as identified by the service branch Credentialing Opportunities On -Line web site COOL o I indicates certifications endorsed or recognized by a third -party industry association such as the Manufacturing Institute or the Health Professions Network and o A red chile pepper symbol indicates that the certification is frequently mentioned in online job postings at the national level.