Dive Brief:
- Colorado is offering a free high school diploma and workforce certification program for certain residents, that aims to reduce underemployment and unemployment in the state, according to a Jan. 2 announcement.
- The program is open to residents older than 21, who have completed some of the 10th grade and have internet access but lack a GED.
- Graduation Alliance will provide the services, which come as a part of the Workforce Diploma Pilot Program, administered by The Colorado Department of Education's Office of Adult Education Initiatives. Participants may pursue other credentials, which include Certified Production Technician, Child Development Associate, Microsoft Office Specialist and OSHA 10.
Dive Insight:
The state program also may help employers fill open roles — a tough task in this talent market. "Colorado currently has approximately 324,000 adults who never received their high [school] diploma," Graduation Alliance Chief Development Officer Greg Harp said in the statement announcing the program. "With the Workforce Diploma Program, we know we can help flip these outcomes by preparing participants with employable and career technical skills." Harp added the skills would help participants land one of 240,000 currently unfilled or soon-to-be-created jobs.
It appears several other institutions have turned to GED credentialing as a talent-boosting measure. Manpower Group in July announced its GED program, which it offered to more than 30,000 of its associates to better their skills. Hilton made a similar move in 2017.
Credentialing may become a trend of its own within the learning space. In addition to the recent GED credentialing news, several organizations have launched projects based on other kinds of credentialing. Education Design Lab, for example, created a campaign to connect businesses with educators to design micro-credentials that validate the skills most in demand in today’s market. And a project backed by IBM aims to launch a credentialing platform that can use blockchain technology.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated Graduation Alliance's role in credentialing. HR Dive has updated the story and headline and regrets the error.
