Designing Curriculum for Stackable Credentials Having established a common interest in and demand for stackable credentials, partners can move forward with the task of designing curriculum. Because the stackable credentials approach is to prepare students for employment, employers must be engaged upfront so that their hiring needs can determine the skills and credentials on which your program will focus. Begin by asking employers to describe their expectations of exit points—what students should know and be able to do upon completion of each credential—and what industry certifications, if any, are aligned to each credential and valued by their companies. Engage Employers in Curriculum Design To help clarify what courses, certificates, and credentials your program should include, ask employers the following questions: What knowledge, skills, and abilities are in demand? What do employees need to know? What skills or competencies should new have when they arrive on the job? What skill levels are in demand? How many credentials are required to reach employers’ desired levels of competency? Are employers looking primarily for entry-level certificate-holding applicants, or are they looking for ways to upgrade the skills of their incumbent workforce? What industry credentials have value across the sector, not just with particular employers? The graphic on the right depicts the stackable nature of the industry credentials embedded in . Built on the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council’s (MSSC) Certified Production Technician (CPT) credential as a foundation, the program branches into four specialty areas, each consisting of a series of credentials that stack toward the associate degree.
Designing Curriculum for Stackable Credentials Having established a common interest in and demand for stackable credentials, partners can move forward with the task of designing curriculum. Because the stackable credentials approach is to prepare students for employment, employers must be engaged upfront so that their hiring needs can determine the skills and credentials on which your program will focus. Begin by asking employers to describe their expectations of exit points—what students should know and be able to do upon completion of each credential—and what industry certifications, if any, are aligned to each credential and valued by their companies. Engage Employers in Curriculum Design To help clarify what courses, certificates, and credentials your program should include, ask employers the following questions: What knowledge, skills, and abilities are in demand? What do employees need to know? What skills or competencies should new have when they arrive on the job? What skill levels are in demand? How many credentials are required to reach employers’ desired levels of competency? Are employers looking primarily for entry-level certificate-holding applicants, or are they looking for ways to upgrade the skills of their incumbent workforce? What industry credentials have value across the sector, not just with particular employers? The graphic on the right depicts the stackable nature of the industry credentials embedded in . Built on the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council’s (MSSC) Certified Production Technician (CPT) credential as a foundation, the program branches into four specialty areas, each consisting of a series of credentials that stack toward the associate degree.