State streamlines credential registry

TRENTON — The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development has partnered with Credential Engine to integrate state credential data with the non-profit’s broader, national Credential Registry to help New Jerseyans make more informed education and career decisions. The enhanced Registry with clearer industry-alignment will lead to more apprenticeships, credentials, certificates, and degrees to further strengthen New Jersey’s economy.
The information sharing will give New Jersey workers, high schools, colleges, and universities the data points they need to understand what lies within the in-demand, industry-valued credentials sought by employers in the Garden State’s leading industry sectors: Advanced Manufacturing; Transportation, Logistics, and Distribution; Health Care; Construction and Utilities; and Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism.
“With new credentials being developed almost daily, our state needed a way to better track and compare credentials,” said Commissioner of Labor Aaron R. Fichtner, Ph.D. “Credential Engine provides the data we need to further refine our list of industry-valued credentials and to better align the state's education and training programs with the needs of our key industries.”
Credential Engine is a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C. that is using the power of technology to collect and connect credentialing data-- such as competencies, quality assurance measures, and labor market information--through a Web-based Registry that uses a common language to allow for credential comparability.
"New Jersey will be a terrific new partner for us, we can learn a great deal from them,” says Eleni Papadakis, Board Chair for Credential Engine. “New Jersey has made tremendous headway in recent years to better align educational resources with career opportunities in the state’s critical industries, for the benefit of both employers, jobseekers, and students. Making credentials more transparent will take New Jersey's success to a new level. When everyone has reliable data, better decisions can be made by states, by training providers looking to improve or add programs, employers looking for qualified hires, and by students and workers looking to prepare for the future.”
The partnership is part of New Jersey’s ‘65 by 25: Many Paths, One Future’ initiative, working to build a skilled, competitive workforce by helping New Jerseyans find pathways to careers. The ‘65 by 25: Many Paths, One Future’ initiative is a collaborative effort of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Department of Education, and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, focused on increasing the percentage of New Jersey adults who have earned an industry-valued post-secondary credential or degree from 50 percent to 65 percent by 2025.