This report, Coordination Through Quality Assurance: An Employer-Driven Quality Standard for Career-Building Education, is a recent project of our Talent Finance initiative. In late 2022, we launched the Quality Assurance Workgroup, co-chaired by Workforce Talent Educators Association and the U.S. Chamber Foundation. The workgroup is comprised of 22 organizations, including Amazon, DTE Energy, IBM, Trellis Company, Greater Houston Partnership, Jobs for the Future, and National Governors Association. The workgroup explored an alternative quality assurance framework that can be used to recognize education, training, and credentialing programs that meet the business community’s standard of quality. Such recognition can help providers better partner with employers and be eligible for alternative finance. The workgroup’s report proposes a framework for an employer-driven quality standard.
The impact for an employer-driven quality standard means:
- Creating a job candidate capability signal that is more reliable to employers and more equitable for learners/candidates.
- Providing a means for all employers- small and medium sized employers as well as large employers- to influence educational curriculum, processes, and outcomes.
- Improving coordination between employers and educators so that training is more relevant to employers and therefore more impactful on learner workforce success.
