State Establishes Postsecondary Attainment Goal
On June 19th, Governor Phil Scott signed H. 533, a workforce development bill that formally establishes the goal that 70 percent of working age Vermonters will hold a “credential of value” such as an apprenticeship, certificate, or degree, by 2025. The bill sets the following four policy priorities that are essential to achieving the goal:
- — Promote awareness of career pathways and teh value of postsecondary education and training
- — Expand accessto postsecondary education and training to students of all ages
- — Increase completion of postsecondary education and training programs by ensuring that Vermonters have the supports they need to succeed
- — Maximize partnerships across and within sectors to achieve State workforce development and education goals
Today, roughly 50 percent of Vermont workers have completed a credential beyond a high school diploma. In order to achieve the goal, approximately 68,000 more Vermont residents will need to possess a postsecondary credential by 2025.
The Equity Imperative
Vermonters facing marginalization, discrimination, and systemic injustice experience unique
roadblocks in their pursuit of postsecondary credentials that their advantaged peers do not. These institutional barriers are too often invisible to the people who do not experience them. Every person living in Vermont is impacted by social, political, and economic structures, and we must work to understand the multifaceted ways these systems support and hinder people’s ability to earn postsecondary credentials. The only way to continue to grow the number of Vermonters with credentials, the number of Vermonters with jobs that meet their needs, and the number of Vermonters living in prosperous communities is to ensure that those from all walks of life find a sense of belonging in this work.
Learn more from our newly developed one-pager ‘Equity by the Numbers,’ and take a deeper dive into these topics by exploring the additional reading provided. These barriers are not uniform. And neither are the solutions.
Credentialing Report
In consultation with Advance Vermont, the Vermont State Workforce Development Board
(SWDB) created a Training & Credentialing Work Group in 2018. The Work Group was tasked with establishing the charge and initial membership of a standing Training and Credentialing Committee. The Work Group conducted five meetings between August 2018 and April 2019, designating two of the meetings for feedback from an extensive group of stakeholders.
In April 2019, the Work Group completed its work and submitted the following
recommendations to SWBD Chair Adam Grinold for approval:
- — Definition of a “credential of value”
- — Charge of the Training and Credentialing Committee
- — Initial membership and governance of the Training and Credentialing Committee
- — Process for the state approval for credentials of value
- — Public availability of information pertaining to the Training and Credentialing
Committee, process for the state approval for credentials of value, and the Vermont
master credential list - — Topics for future consideration by the Training and Credentialing Committee
The efforts of this Work Group are critical to laying the foundation for broader awareness of
the many high-quality education and training pathways available in Vermont, as well as
tracking of the outcomes of the programs and their students. Providing the people of Vermont
with flexible and affordable postsecondary pathways is key to meeting the State’s workforce demand and helping Vermonters secure jobs that meet their individual needs.
Workforce and Talent Summit Recap
On May 30, Advance Vermont participated in the inaugural Vermont Workforce and Talent Summit hosted by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.
A partnership between the Vermont Chamber, Advance Vermont, Vermont Department of Labor, Vermont Futures Project and Vermont Workforce Development Board, the event drew an audience of over 325 educators, employers and workforce support organizations. Highlights of the day included 20 seminars on various topics, an inspiring keynote from career expert Brooks Harper, and lots of great networking througout the day.
Advance Vermont organized two seminars:
- — Students Today, Employees Tomorrow: Data, Strategies, and Success Stories of Vermont High School Students
- — From Inspiration to Occupation: Vermont’s Career Pathways Resources
Thanks to the many sponsors, partners, and attendees who helped make this event a success! If you have feedback on the event, please share it with us by contacting Roxanne at [email protected].
