Intersect With Earl May 2024

by Earl Buford on May 22, 2024

Congratulations to the winners of our inaugural CPL Equity awards, which we presented in partnership with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. The winners include Miami Dade College, Lehman College, West Los Angeles College, Salt Lake Community College, Capella University, Metro State University, and City University of New York. Each was recognized for effective strategies for putting CPL in reach of key adult learner populations and/or increasing their CPL credit earning.

The announcement of SHRM Foundation’s Skills-First Center of Excellence “marks another step forward towards modernizing the traditional hiring and advancement landscape.” It reminds us that alignment between postsecondary credentials and work-relevant competencies must be strong and transparent. Comprehensive learner records offer great potential for postsecondary institutions to clearly codify student competencies, forge stronger connections between learning and work, and support equitable outcomes. Yet, as our recent research indicates, there is a gap between interest and adoption of competency-based frameworks.

On the topic of portable and seamless ways to signal valuable competencies, we’re thrilled to have received a grant from SkillsFWD that will allow us to create an end-to-end learning and employment record (LER) solution for our Pittsburgh Regional Upskilling Alliance. LERs capture diverse forms of education and employment achievements, offering individuals a more equitable way to showcase their competencies and making it easier for employers to recognize them during the hiring process.

I want to thank everyone who joined us in Atlanta for our back-to-back SNAP E&T and Economic Mobility Regional summits. I am especially grateful to my co-presenters from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the Atlanta Department of Labor & Employment Services, the University System of Georgia, Seattle Jobs Initiatives, Grant Associates, American Public Human Services Association, UPS, the Machinists Institute, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. My special thanks also go to my CAEL colleagues Brooke Pirmann, Jeannie McCarron, Matt Waltz, Angela DeVere, Elizabeth Warner, and Rachel Hirsch, who all made it possible to complete our agenda over two days of higher-than-expected attendance.

Grant opportunity: The annual federal TRIO Student Support Services grant opportunity is currently open. These grants are awarded to institutions of higher education to provide opportunities for academic development, assist students with basic college requirements, and to motivate students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education. The goal of Student Support Services projects is to increase college retention and graduation rates. Responses are due by July 15, 2024. If you are interested in how CAEL services might support your school's efforts, please contact Bill McKinney at bmckinney@cael.org.

CAEL member mention: Thanks to a partnership between Wilmington University and the Delaware Department of Labor, students can receive up to 42 credits toward a bachelor’s degree following the completion of a qualifying apprenticeship program. The initiative’s impact is inclusive of learners at any point in their education and employment pathways. It benefits high school graduates beginning their first apprenticeship program, workers already enrolled in one, and even people who have completed an apprenticeship in the past.

Interested in learning more about CAEL memberships? Please visit us, and always feel free to contact us with questions or comments on any topic at cael@cael.org.