Center for American Progress

: Reimagining the Path to the Workforce: Nanodegrees and Other Flexible Workplace Credentials
Past Event


Reimagining the Path to the Workforce: Nanodegrees and Other Flexible Workplace Credentials


9:30 - 11:00 AM EST

In order to ensure the 21st century workforce has flexible and new paths to employment, it is time to reimagine the types of credentials that people earn. While the college bachelor’s degree will remain a mainstay of the U.S. economic engine, there are other types of credentials that can help workers learn skills that help them enter the workforce quickly or progress in their career. Some employers and institutions are using innovative curriculum designs to offer nanodegrees that give workers skills and the opportunity to earn a wage premium while not requiring them to be out of the workforce for a prolonged time. These credentials will allow workers and students to design a program of study that matches the modern economy.

The Center for American Progress will discuss innovative programs to reimagine the way that students earn postsecondary credentials. A recent CAP report examined stackable credentials that could dramatically increase the number of students who successfully complete college by allowing them to move between education and work while amassing credentials that build upon each other. A panel will discuss these emerging approaches to program design.

Welcoming remarks:
Aneesh Chopra, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

Featured panelists:
Eugene Giovannini, President, Maricopa Corporate College
Clarissa Shen, Vice President of Business Development, Udacity
Anne Wintroub, Director of Social Innovation, AT&T

Moderated by:
David Bergeron, Vice President for Postsecondary Education, Center for American Progress