The QA Commons is mindful of the dramatic and transformational impact COVID-19 is having on all institutions of higher education. As an organization, we are adapting our services to support preparing graduates for the workplace that is now changing more precipitously than ever.
This National Governors Association overview describes how governors in 2025 worked to improve coordination, oversight, and alignment across state workforce systems. At the same time, governors expanded apprenticeships, strengthened service-to-career pathways, and invested in preparing workers for emerging industries, reflecting a strong focus on workforce readiness and economic mobility.
This 2025 Georgetown CEW report finds that while certificates and associate’s degrees are essential to filling high-paying, in-demand jobs, the U.S. is producing far too few of them—particularly in blue-collar, STEM, and management fields—and access to these opportunities remains highly unequal. The report underscores that economic mobility depends not just on earning a credential, but on how well education pathways are aligned with labor-market demand and connected to employers, work-based learning, and equitable hiring practices.
This 2023 Harvard Business School article argues that the U.S. overreliance on four-year degrees overlooks apprenticeships as a strong alternative for students who may not complete college. Research by Joseph Fuller shows that well-designed high school apprenticeships benefit employers and give students flexible pathways into work or further education without limiting future options.
This 2021 article from the National Skills Coalition addresses the issue of credential quality and transparency and puts forth a toolkit for developing quality definitions for non-degree credentials.
This 2021 article in Issues in Science & Technology notes that the education system is disconnected from the workplace, that a system for lifelong learning is missing, that addressing the need is critical to advancing more equitable outcomes, and that there are opportunities for institutions of higher education. Key foundations common to the most successful programs for workplace education are shared.
This 2021 report by New America examines the bleak differences in the return on investment for different types of credentials and degrees. One key recommendation is the prioritization of real-world experience to supplement course work and that these hands-on experiences be accessible to all students through their programs to help buffer the racial and gender gaps in earnings for individuals with a short-term certificate.
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