The Higher Learning Commission has endorsed four organizations that offer short-term credentials to colleges and universities, marking the first time the accreditor has formally verified the quality of a third-party provider focused on certificates, digital badges and microcredentials, according to a press release.
There are now over a million microcredential offerings on the market, offering to quickly teach students skills demanded by today’s workforce. Often dubbed “micropathways,” these credentials also serve to complement traditional degrees by signaling specific job-ready competencies to employers.
Third-party education providers want to partner with colleges and universities to offer microcredentials designed to complement existing academic offerings, says Karen Solomon, the Higher Learning Commission’s vice president and chief transformation officer. But institutions are cautious about quality and credibility.
Research from the Lumina Foundation found that at least a third of today’s short-term credentials don’t provide a significant wage increase. At the same time, learners are mainly paying for micropathways out of pocket, heightening the financial risk if credentials fall short of their promises.
“[Colleges] would prefer to have endorsed providers at their doorstep that have been validated by an external entity,” Solomon says.
The endorsement arrives as colleges face growing pressure to vet nondegree partners operating in a largely unregulated credential marketplace.
The organizations that have been deemed trustworthy by the accreditation body are:
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Corporate Finance Institute LLC: A financial education provider
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Kaplan North America LLC: Offers a wide range of credentials across financial services, real estate, healthcare and engineering
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Sophia Learning LLC: Over 70 self-paced, college-level courses designed to fulfill general education requirements for university credit
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Voltage Control LLC: Focuses on building leadership qualities and team-based facilitation
“These endorsed providers meet high-quality standards in offering short-term credentials of value,” said Higher Learning Commission President Barbara Gellman-Danley. “The intent is to increase pathways for learners to gain the qualifications they need to advance careers and success.”
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The Higher Learning Commission launched its endorsement process in October to establish quality assurance in a fast-growing corner of postsecondary education. Enrollment in short-term credentials has skyrocketed since the pandemic, and most employers believe micro-credentials demonstrate higher proficiency in essential, industry-relevant skills.
Corporate Finance, Kaplan, Sophia Learning and Voltage Control are not only aligned with workforce learning needs, but they are also financially stable and have established protections for learners’ financial investments, according to the Higher Learning Commission.
More endorsements are underway. The Higher Learning Commission is accepting applications from third-party providers until April 24.
Accreditation and endorsement are two entirely separate processes. Accreditation evaluates an institution’s degree-granting authority to ensure it meets broad academic, financial and governance standards issued by the state and federal government. Endorsement is geared toward short-term credential providers, offering a quality signal for specific training programs.
