Federal Priorities for SHEEOs: Building State Infrastructure for Skills, Credentials, and Workforce Outcomes

ederal policy is creating new pressure and new opportunity for states to strengthen the infrastructure connecting education and employment. Across the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Labor, the direction is increasingly clear: make skills visible, make credentials portable, and make outcomes measurable.

This guide was developed for State Higher Education Executive Officers and system leaders who are evaluating how to align state strategy with emerging federal priorities while building stronger pathways between learning and work.

Transcript

1. Federal Priorities are Converging Around Skills, Credentials, and Outcomes Why Learning and Employment Records and T alent Marketplaces matter for state higher education systems Federal policy and funding are increasingly pointing in the same direction. Recent signals across T alent Search, the Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants (SCCT), Workforce Pell-related planning, and broader workforce initiatives all reinforce the need for stronger alignment between learning, credentials, and employment outcomes. For state higher education systems, this is becoming a matter of infrastructure. What’s changing Institutions are being asked to help learners: build and demonstrate workforce-relevant skills move more clearly between education and employment participate in short-term and work-based learning pathways show progress in ways that are more useful beyond the transcript At the same time, states are under growing pressure to support: stronger workforce alignment more portable and transparent credentials clearer pathways across institutions and workforce partners better visibility into learner outcomes Where Learning and Employment Records fit A Learning and Employment Record (LER) creates a more complete and portable picture of learner progress, including : credentials and achievements competencies and skills work-based and e xperiential learnin g short-term and non-degree pathways veri fied evidence of learner development over time Where Talent Mar ketplaces fit A Talent Marketplace connects what learners know and can do to real opportunities in the labor market. Fo r states and syste ms , this su ppo rts: alignment between credentials and workforce deman d clearer signals for learners, institutions, and employers connected pathways between higher education and workforce ecosystems Ho w Territori um s upports this wor k Territorium works with institutions and systems to make learner progress, credentials, and pathways more visible and more connected to opportunity. This includes: Learning and Employment Records digital credentialing and learner achievements skills and competency visibility workforce -connected pathways stronger alignment between education and employment outcomes Why this matters for state systems Many of the priorities now emerging at the federal level depend on infrastructure that most institutions and systems do not yet have in place. That includes the ability to: organize credentials, competencies, and achievements in a more structured way make learner progress more visible across programs and pathways support portability across institutions, workforce systems, and employers better understand outcomes across different learner populations and credential types Without this infrastructure, states risk creating more activity without creating more visibility, coherence, or measurable value. The next phase of higher education will require stronger infrastructure for learner mobility and workforce outcomes. To learn more or start a conversation, connect with Territorium. Schedule a demo today at hi@territorium.com