The world of work is changing fast—and community colleges are uniquely positioned to meet the challenge. Traditional degree programs remain vital, but employers are increasingly seeking a blend of deep academic knowledge, strong soft skills, and validated industry-recognized competencies. Students, too, are asking for more flexible, career-aligned options.
Enter Certification + Degree (C+D) pathways: an innovative approach that integrates industry certifications directly into degree programs. C+D pathways can reshape how higher education connects to the workforce, as this initiative, supported by ECMC Foundation and developed by Workcred, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), and the League for Innovation in the Community College, has demonstrated.
A new comprehensive Playbook for Certification + Degree Pathways captures the lessons learned from four pioneering community colleges—Community College of Aurora, Delta College, Kirkwood Community College, and Moraine Valley Community College— and offers flexible models, guiding principles, and practical tools for institutions ready to take this important step. Their efforts, along with insights from the various project partners, form the basis of the playbook.
What are C+D Pathways?
Imagine a student beginning with a Google IT Support Certificate, advancing to a CompTIA Security+ Certification, and completing an Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity degree—all within one pathway. Each credential builds upon the last, offering stackable milestones that make education more modular, flexible, and career-focused.
At their core, C+D pathways are an integrated framework that combines industry certifications, college-awarded certificates, and degree programs. Unlike traditional routes where certifications and degrees are pursued separately, C+D pathways allow students to earn them together and strategically.
C+D pathways are more than a new academic model—they represent a cultural shift. They demonstrate how community colleges can respond rapidly to workforce needs, provide students with stackable credentials that open doors at every stage, and bridge the divide between traditional academic learning and applied workforce training.
For students, C+D pathways mean clearer routes to employment, less duplication of effort, and credentials with immediate market value. For employers, they ensure a pipeline of job-ready professionals. And for colleges, they offer a model for sustainability and relevance in an evolving educational landscape.
The Pilot Colleges and Their Pathways
Four community colleges took on the challenge of designing and testing eight pathways in IT and/or health fields. Case studies from each of the colleges are also available.
Community College of Aurora (IL) created pathways in behavioral health, stacking microcredentials into associate and bachelor’s degrees in mental health, wellness, and addiction recovery.
Delta College (MI) launched IT-focused pathways that blend Google certificates and CompTIA certifications with associate degrees in IT support and cybersecurity.
Kirkwood Community College (IA) designed IT administration and cloud computing pathways that integrate certifications from VMware, Cisco, CompTIA, and AWS.
Moraine Valley Community College (IL) built pathways to combine Microsoft Azure certifications and health information technology, aligning industry credentials with associate degrees in networking and medical coding.
Each of these pathways is an example of how colleges can reimagine education to be more modular, stackable, and aligned with changing workforce needs.
Creating Successful C+D Pathways
Key Stakeholders
Key stakeholders are pivotal to the success of C+D pathways. For example, corporate sponsorships are an opportunity for colleges to engage employers in providing financial support for pathway development. Such support could include offering scholarships, donating equipment, funding certification exam fees, or sponsoring internships.
Colleges also want to strengthen relationships with certification bodies and make use of resources they provide, such as instructional tools, test preparation materials, career pathway information, the certification value proposition, discounts on exam vouchers, or other types of direct support.
Engaging regional employers through advisory boards and working with accreditors and state program approval bodies are also important aspects. While all pilot colleges were accredited by HLC, the recommendations created during this project are appropriate across different accrediting bodies and include ensuring compliance with accreditation standards and planning early for their inclusion in the pathways.
Planning Guidelines
Planning successful C+D pathways involves many different aspects. To get started, careful consideration of which industry credential to use is critical. This involves market research and conducting curricular review, revision, and development to ensure the best alignment. Assessment tools and metrics and processes for ongoing curriculum review will need to be developed during this phase as well. Engaging certification bodies, industry, and students, as well as creating or improving staff training and student support systems, are also important steps to include during planning.
Preparing for sustainability of the pathways is another important part of their development. This can be achieved in part through varied funding sources, internal support, and cross-departmental collaboration.
Implementation Steps
Once planning has been completed, it is time to implement and maintain the pathways. Following established policies regarding advisement, enrollment, and assessment and evaluating infrastructure needs are critical. Additionally, student recruitment and support systems, such as test preparation and mentorship, should be established, and student progression through the pathway should be tracked and evaluated for any modifications needed. During this stage, it is important to provide opportunities for professional development and to establish a collaborative environment where faculty can share best practices and resources and support each other.
Common Challenges and Lessons Learned
Common Challenges: Through this pilot, the partners uncovered some challenges and noted mitigation strategies. Top challenges include navigating accreditation, balancing credit and non-credit programs, and the rapid evolution of certifications and related requirements.
Pilot colleges mitigated these challenges by collaborating closely with accrediting bodies and state agencies, initiating or strengthening faculty-industry partnerships, creating bridge programs between credit and non-credit tracks, and enhancing advisory boards to keep curricula aligned with workforce needs.
Lessons Learned: Successful pathways require deliberate mapping of certification competencies to course outcomes, faculty who are central to designing aligned curricula linked with their own ongoing professional development, student supports that make a meaningful difference, and partnerships that strengthen and expand impacts. Ultimately, sustained leadership commitment—through funding, staffing, technology investment, and policy alignment—is essential.
Although the C+D pathways in this project focused on just a few areas, they can be expanded and adapted to fit local needs and institutional strengths.
Making the Most of C+D Pathways
The message is clear: successful C+D pathways don’t happen by accident. They require intentional design, strong leadership, and meaningful collaboration across education systems and industry. When done well, C+D pathways empower students to succeed in a rapidly changing workforce—and that benefits everyone.
Read More in the C+D Pathways Blog Series
Strengthening Partnerships Between Community Colleges and Certification Bodies