Reimagining Higher Education: The Power of Building New Pathways to Success
The joint Workcred, Higher Learning Commission, and League for Innovation in the Community College Certification + Degree (C+D) pathway project fostered a fundamental shift in higher education approaches. While industry credentials and degrees have historically coexisted as separate options, embedding these credentials within degree pathways represents a powerful innovation. And as both higher education and the workforce landscape evolve rapidly, adaptation has become critical for educational programs to effectively serve learners. Workcred and partners collaborated with the Community College of Aurora (CCA) and other community colleges to enable institutions to investigate, adapt, and create more innovative opportunities that ensure learner success.
Meeting Learners Where They Are
CCA is deeply committed to the upward socio-economic mobility of its learners. The C+D pathway project aligned perfectly with this institutional commitment for several compelling reasons. The reality is that most community college learners must work while pursuing their education. However, traditional pathways rarely allow them to work in their chosen field until after completing their degree.
By embedding industry certificates and certifications early in intentionally designed course maps, CCA have created a transformative alternative.[1] Learners gain valuable credentials that enable them to enter their field faster while continuing their degree pursuits. This approach allows them to “earn while they learn” in their actual field of interest rather than an unrelated one. The benefits extend beyond immediate employment—learners build years of relevant experience and develop crucial social capital through professional networks. CCA conducted focus groups during this project and heard firsthand how learners expressed particular excitement about this networking aspect—the ability to begin building professional relationships in their field in addition to years of experience, while still completing their academic journey.
The Behavioral Health Innovation
Pathways into behavioral health have historically been long and costly. Traditional master’s level training requires substantial time commitments and resources that many learners simply cannot access. These barriers contribute to staffing shortages and limit workforce diversity. CCA needed a way to directly address these challenges, and it is where the C+D pathways project supported innovation. Through collaboration with the Colorado Community College System, other Colorado community colleges, the Education Design Lab (the Lab), and critical state agencies like the Behavioral Health Administration, an innovative behavioral health pathway was created to blend general education with career and technical education and various industry certificates and certifications.
A key breakthrough came when industry partners identified the need for an entry-level credential eligible for Medicaid reimbursement, and CCA was able to create a new industry certificate: the Qualified Behavioral Health Assistant (QBHA). It was the missing piece that allowed learners to get into the workforce in less than four months, while also having the option to continue along the pathway to an associate of applied science degree in behavioral health. This fully-stackable pathway also includes other certificates, educational prerequisites for the Registered Behavior Technician® (in progress) and Certified Peer and Family Support Specialist certifications (in progress), and culminates in a bachelor of applied science degree to meet continuing industry and learner demand.
Creating an Ecosystem for Innovation
This new pathway demanded more than just curriculum changes—it required building what the Lab calls an ecosystem. CCA identified all partners who needed to be at the table: learners, employers, employees, community associates, accreditation bodies, regulatory agencies, political representatives, and subject matter experts from both academia and industry.
With this ecosystem in place, CCA was able to challenge traditional assumptions. Must learners complete an entire degree before entering the workforce? Or could certifications be embedded or created and certificates within a degree that directly align with entry-level work? When we find or create industry credentials that align with these components, we can build new pathways that connect education directly to employment while still ensuring learners reach their degree goals.
Embracing Adaptability
The C+D pathways project highlighted the importance of adaptability. When one industry certification could not be utilized for our concurrent enrollment learners due to age restrictions, that information was pivoted information into a credit-bearing course and focused on other opportunities. This allowed CCA to ensure they were including as many valuable industry certifications as possible while also removing barriers for learners. This approach will be ongoing for this program and beyond.
Measuring Success
The impact of these innovations is already clear. CCA has had 494 declared behavioral health learners since fall 2024, with 194 enrolled for fall 2025. There have been 225 completers of the pathway since its launch, including 47 QBHA completers. CCA has developed a comprehensive sustainability plan that tracks both academic metrics (e.g., enrollment, success, completion) and industry outcomes (e.g., skill alignment, retention, advancement).
Most importantly, we are seeing markers of learner success through completion, employment, advanced credential attainment, and upward social and economic mobility. Our ongoing alignment with industry needs is maintained and supported through advisory committees—both statewide and local—and regular communication with clinical sites where learners gain field experience.
Conclusion: Worth the Effort
While changing educational programs is challenging, and industry certification requirements often evolve, the benefit to learners makes these efforts worthwhile. The C+D pathways project has demonstrated that community colleges can create innovative educational models that respond to both learner needs and industry demands. By finding our champions, exploring all possibilities, and thinking outside traditional boxes, CCA has launched a successful C+D pathway program in behavioral health that serves our mission of providing high-value instruction and support services to advance educational attainment, workforce readiness, and upward socio-economic mobility.
[1] Author’s note: See more about how this was accomplished this in the case study, Creating Credentialing Pathways in Behavioral Health: A Case Study about the Community College of Aurora, https://share.ansi.org/wc/Shared%20Documents/Workcred-Reports/Community-College-Pathways/Creating-Credentialing-Pathways-in-Behavioral-Health-CCA.pdf.
Read More in the C+D Pathways Blog Series
Strengthening Partnerships Between Community Colleges and Certification Bodies
Certifications and Degrees: Lessons from a Pathways Pilot
Beyond the Degree: How Delta College is Shortening the Path to IT Careers with Industry Credentials
How Working with Students Shaped Certification Success at Kirkwood Community College
Reimagining Higher Education: The Power of Building New Pathways to Success
