In the Great Lakes Bay Region of Michigan, the demand for highly skilled IT and cybersecurity professionals is greater than ever. As institutions continue to investigate new ways to grow their regional talent pipelines, Delta College and three other institutions partnered with Workcred, the Higher Learning Commission, and the League for Innovation in the Community College to explore various ways to align industry credentials with degrees, and shorten the length of time it takes students to earn a credential. In this blog, we will explore Delta College’s journey toward a Certification + Degree (C+D) pathway, highlighting some of the lessons learned and challenges the institution encountered along the way.
Lessons Learned
To develop a C+D pathway, institutions must be willing to examine the certificates and degrees they offer, consult with regional employer partners (e.g., through academic discipline advisory board meetings), analyze regional industry data, review relevant industry credentials, and align industry credentials to the curriculum. For Delta College, the journey began by meeting with faculty to explore industry credentials in the computer science and technology (CST) division, which was prompted by the high demand for those skills and the numerous well-known industry credentials available in those disciplines. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, Delta College considered the value of awarding academic credit to students based on their prior experiences (Credit for Prior Learning or CPL), recognizing that in the IT workforce, many certificates and certifications are preferred or required for employment.
Precise Alignment is Key
Conversations with faculty at Delta College revealed a need to align an industry credential within CST in order to keep up with the rapid evolution of technology and the widespread acceptance and reliance on credentialing to keep pace with these advancements. Google, known for its successful industry certificates, ease of access, and affordability, proved to be the best choice of credential for the college to use for alignment with the college’s existing CST programs. Once the CST faculty conducted their analysis of the Google credentials and current curriculum, they determined that students who complete the Google IT Support Certificate could earn up to 14 credits toward a degree in IT support, and up to 15 credits toward a degree in cybersecurity.
Additionally, faculty also evaluated certifications for integration in CST academic programs. Students who earn the CompTIA A+ Certification are eligible for 6 credits toward a degree in IT support, while those who earn the CompTIA Security+ Certification can earn 3 credits toward a degree in cybersecurity.
Establishing Buy-in
For C+D pathways to be successful, everyone involved must share the vision of enhancing student success. Support for C+D pathway efforts was strong among Delta College leadership, faculty, and staff, and leadership continued to emphasize the importance of the initiative every year during Fall Learning Days, the all-college in-service day.
Industry was also highly supportive through their roles on program advisory boards that Delta College established to examine curriculum, and their willingness to engage in “Employer Spotlight Events.” These events were held each term, allowing IT students to interact with employers to learn about job roles within their companies and showcase their skills gained through the C+D pathway they chose. One employer shared, “When I see a Google certificate on a resume, I know the candidate has put in the work and is ready to grow.” During these “Employer Spotlight Events,” faculty also discussed the value of the programs and credentials, fostering “aha” moments that a Google certificate could shorten the timeframe for completing a degree at Delta College. Consequently, buy-in among various stakeholders was more prevalent than if Delta College had chosen a different academic discipline to initiate this work.
Challenges
The Cost of “Free”
One challenge the college identified during this work was the decision to offer the Google certificates on the public website through open enrollment, completely free of charge. Although we felt strongly about providing it to our community barrier-free, this choice led to low completion rates among enrollees. As the C+D pathway team describes it, “Enrollees do not have any skin in the game, making it easy to quit.” In hindsight, associating a modest fee with the credential could foster accountability and help increase student completion.
Rebranding
Another crucial aspect of the work included rebranding the college’s workforce division and eliminating the nomenclature of “non-credit.” Instead of referring to workforce and industry credentials as “non-credit,” the institution rolled out a new, more inclusive term of “career-credential.” The college also made investments in marketing and promotional materials, website updates, and, with assistance from the office of IT at the college, developed CPL wizard to ensure students had streamlined access to determine whether their prior learning would earn them academic credit before starting a Delta College certificate or degree program.
Concluding Thoughts
Delta College has learned a great deal from this partnership work on C+D pathways. We have created a shorter and more affordable pathway in CST for students to achieve their goals more quickly. The C+D pathway developed by Delta College will result in individuals who can earn a credential(s) that the industry deems valuable while they pursue a degree, allowing them to enter the workforce better prepared. At the end of the day, that is what is important at a community college – helping students achieve their goals with the skills necessary to work in their chosen career and life paths.
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