We’re excited about the work we’re doing to build pathways from credential to career for our learners.
Our placement in Pearson’s Workforce Skills Division gives us unique opportunities to help learners discover their talents and employers identify the investments they should make in their current and future workforce. The GED test program was created to help learners develop the academic skills needed to excel in postsecondary education and the workforce.
We have always prioritized preparing learners for the next step in their journey while allowing them to define what success looks like on an individual basis. The one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for our learners, yet we understand the need to share available options and how to pursue them. Under the Workforce Skills Division, we can create stronger pathways for GED graduates by utilizing platforms and programs designed to support career development.
Diagnose, Learn, and Certify
We’re exploring innovative ways to use data, research, and artificial intelligence (AI) to determine the future of work while providing learning opportunities and administering credentials. “Diagnose-learn-certify,” is a data-driven approach to pathways that identify a learner’s skills, matches them with in-demand career options that align with their strengths, offers learning opportunities, and provides certifications that demonstrate what they have learned.
Here’s an overview of our related organizations that focus on learners, organizations, or both:
Accelerated Pathways: A non-traditional, online college experience that offers flexibility when earning a Bachelor’s degree. Learners work with an academic counselor to develop a customized degree plan that fits their identified goals, budget, and schedule.
Credly: A digital credential platform that issues badges to learners that can be shared online as proof of certification and achievement. Badges link to the Credly website, where viewers can see all the details of a learner’s achievement with verification.
TalentLens: Assessments that predict the performance and suitability of a candidate at any level or position in an organization. These assessments include language proficiency for selection or placement into learning programs (Versant), cognitive ability and personality, and career assessment and coaching (Which Career for Me).
Faethm: A platform that uses AI-powered analytics to help organizations determine their workforce needs based on skills that are currently needed and others that will be in high demand in the future. It uses data to identify specific skills gaps across the workforce and how employers can help employees gain the skills needed to succeed.
The Path Forward
We envision a future where all GED graduates earn their credentials and immediately connect with postsecondary and career opportunities. GED graduates currently have the option to receive Credly badges to confirm that they have earned their GED credential. Graduates also actively enroll in the Accelerated Pathways program to explore what majors and degree programs are a good fit while saving money on coursework and eliminating some associated costs like campus fees. Through Faethm and TalentLens and our direct work with companies and organizations, we have the data and knowledge to help prepare learners to meet the demands of today and tomorrow’s workforce.
We’re excited about what’s to come for the GED test program, our learners, and the pathways we’re creating for their success.
–Vicki Greene, President of GED Testing Service/ SVP of Americas for Pearson’s Workforce Skills Division