Meghan: "Skills are the driver of the future of work. Without validation, there’s no trust, and without trust, you can’t make decisions based on skills."

In this episode of Psych Tech @ Work I welcome my new friend Meghan Raftery who is an Education Designer and skills validation expert who works at Educational Design Lab - a community that is dedicated to doing skills based hiring the right way by ensuring that skills are verified and portable across the world of education and work.  

Meghan offers a fresh perspective on skills-based hiring, microcredentialing, and how education and work can align more effectively to prepare students and workers for the future.

Meghan shares her experience transitioning from K-12 education to the world of workforce development and dedicating her efforts to focusing on how to validate skills in a measurable, trustworthy way. She explains how microcredentialing can break down complex skills into smaller, demonstrable pieces that people can stack together over time to build toward larger career goals.

In our conversation Meghan highlights the importance of aligning educational outcomes with workplace needs, particularly through skills validation systems that help employers trust the skills applicants bring to the table. She shares how her team uses human-centered design to create pathways for "STARS" (Skilled Through Alternative Routes) and provides practical insights into how employers can leverage these tools to open doors for candidates who may not have traditional degrees but possess the skills needed for success.

Topics Covered:

* Microcredentialing and Skills Validation:

* Defining microcredentials and how they differ from traditional credentials by breaking down skills into smaller, measurable units.

* The concept of stackable credentials, where individuals can build a portfolio of verified skills over time.

* Human-Centered Design in Education:

* The importance of involving the people closest to the problem in designing solutions for skills validation.

* How Education Design Lab connects learners, educational institutions, and employers to design skills validation systems that work for all stakeholders.

* Skills-Based Hiring and Employer Engagement:

* Challenges employers face in trusting non-traditional credentials.

* How companies can work with organizations like Education Design Lab to ensure they receive reliable, validated skills signals from job applicants.

Takeaways:

* Trust Through Validation: For skills-based hiring to succeed, employers need validated evidence of skills, not just resumes or self-assertions.

* Microcredentials Build Careers: Breaking down skills into smaller, stackable microcredentials allows learners to build toward larger career goals in a personalized way.

* Human-Centered Design: Involving those closest to the problem—whether students, job seekers, or employers—ensures that the solutions developed are relevant and effective.

* Collaboration Is Key: Employers, educators, and governments must collaborate to build systems that bridge the gap between education and the workforce, ensuring skills are verified and trusted.

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