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Universities Play a Vital Role in the U.S. Economy

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Universities Play a Vital Role in the U.S. Economy

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·      Talent and workforce development
·      Innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems
·      Place development through community partnerships.

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When we tell our friends and relatives that we study the role of universities in economic development, we typically encounter furrowed brows. The idea that universities do anything other than teaching and research seems unfathomable, except perhaps during football season.

But public universities have long tended to the needs of their communities.

In recent weeks, more Americans have died from COVID-19 than the Pearl Harbor and 9/11 tragedies combined. Unemployment rates are skyrocketing, racial inequity still plagues the nation, and our climate is changing catastrophically.

Public universities have a critical role to play in combating all these challenges. As the value proposition of higher education comes under increased public scrutiny, embracing economic development is not only the right thing to do but also a way for institutions to enhance what they offer society.

When we say "economic development," we don't mean how universities are often the largest employers in their states; or how they draw visitors to college towns for conferences, events, and graduation ceremonies; or even how much they spend overall. These are traditional markers of "economic impact," and valuable as they are, university-based economic development is a more intentional thing.

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the University Economic Development Association have defined the ways in which higher education institutions contribute to economic development across three areas:

· Talent and workforce development
· Innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems
· Place development through community partnerships.

These three facets of economic development help universities maximize the public value of their core mission of "teaching, research, and service."

What sets a university apart is this unique amalgamation of knowledge creation, dissemination, and utilization that equate to an indispensable public value proposition. This framework was reflected in the theme chosen for the 2019 conference of the International Economic Development Council, the world's largest professional body for economic developers: " talent, innovation, and place. "

To implement the framework, APLU began awarding the Innovation and Economic Prosperity (IEP) designation to universities that had "demonstrated a meaningful, substantial, and sustainable commitment to university economic development" in the communities they serve. More than sixty-six institutions have received the IEP designation through an intensive focus on "talent, innovation, and place" activities.

Recently, these IEP universities leveraged this framework to support communities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as states cut funding due to declining revenues, students delay or cancel their enrollment, and questions arise about the viability of some institutions, public universities will experience pressure to cut back. Any such reductions in university efforts to engage in economic development activities would be shortsighted and counterproductive.

We spoke with the presidents of three distinct IEP-designated public universities (one urban serving/regional comprehensive, one land-grant institution, and one flagship university) to illustrate why public research universities need to strengthen their commitment to economic development, now more than ever.

Google, the Human Genome Project, Gatorade, and the iPhone all have roots traceable to university-born research - yet COVID-19 threatens the ability of students and faculty to pioneer their research beyond university walls.

The University of New Mexico has long been active in facilitating entrepreneurial opportunities for students, an objective that, this year, lent itself to addressing challenges brought on by the pandemic. Garnett Stokes, UNM's president, described how, in the Lobo Rainforest Student Pitch Competition - which had to be conducted virtually in 2020 - a biochemistry graduate student, Amelia Bierle, "came up with a disinfectant that changed colors when the surface was fully saturated, indicating that the proper disinfection level had been achieved." These entrepreneurial efforts were connected to other UNM pandemic-response efforts, such as innovations in personal protective equipment, many of which were distributed to underserved Native American communities.

Looking to the post-pandemic future, Stokes was optimistic about UNM's commitment to innovation. "Our goal is to strengthen our ties with entrepreneurs in the community to create more start-up companies and commercialization of technology."

In contrast to the conventional stereotype of universities as isolated "ivory towers," economically engaged universities leverage their research and teaching missions to form reciprocal partnerships with communities.

California State University-Northridge's immediate past president Dianne Harrison described a centerpiece COVID-era contribution to the greater Los Angeles community called Strength United, a center operated by CSUN's Michael D. Eisner College of Education that provides assistance to residents affected by violence, sexual abuse, and trauma.

"The primary mission of CSUN is economic development," Harrison told us. "CSUN really values the placemaking activities that focus on equity of opportunity, on service to our community, and that focus on social justice. For those who are in abusive households, the 'safer at home' orders from the governor really heightened their risk factors." She added that "Strength United staff members were able to mobilize quickly to provide critically needed services to these individuals during this unprecedented pandemic."

If an employer were to be asked about a university's greatest contribution to the workforce, they likely would quip "graduation day." Yet universities partner with employers, economic development organizations, and even K-12 districts to facilitate lifelong learning far beyond a standard college education.

When the pandemic struck the Fort Collins community's K-12 school system, Colorado State University's Campus Connections, a credit-bearing program that pairs CSU student mentors with at-risk youth in the area, sprang into action. CSU president Joyce McConnell spoke with pride about the way this mentorship program extended her university's response to the needs of Colorado's citizens during the pandemic. "We created teams that cut across areas of expertise and in ways that allowed us to be more innovative in the mentoring opportunities we provided as part of our talent development efforts," she said. "We were particularly focused on teacher resilience in a time of crisis."

As the examples highlighted in this article have shown, economic development is not an afterthought or "fourth mission" of the university. Rather, it is exactly how higher education should deepen its value proposition while maximizing the impact of its core research, teaching, and service missions.

As public higher education and state leaders look to the upcoming semester and post-COVID-19 economy, we hope, for the sake of our nation, that states and universities will strengthen the priority of university-based economic development.

Related Articles

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Universities Play a Vital Role in the U.S. Economy | RealClearEducation

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When we tell our friends and relatives that we study the role of universities in economic development, we typically encounter furrowed brows. The idea that universities do anything other than teaching and research seems unfathomable, except perhaps during football season. But public universities have long tended to the needs of their communities.

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4-H Remote Skills Camp for College & Career Readiness

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4-H Remote Skills Camp for College & Career Readiness

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Example of how the adult remote work certification has spread into other program areas in Utah

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The modules are designed to be completed in sequential order. All work must be completed before you can proceed to the next module. It is critical that assigned modules be completed before each workshop to enhance engagement and group discussion. All module quizzes and assignments are due on Thursday afternoons at 1:00 pm MST. The specific due dates for the other work assigned in each module are listed in the Course Summary at the end of the Syllabus in Canvas.

Interactive Workshops

This course includes eight live interactive workshops hosted over video call using Zoom, a free video conferencing software. Workshops provide an opportunity for participants to discuss and review content from modules in a virtual environment that resembles a real remote team. Due to the virtual hosting of the workshops, you can attend the workshops from any location with Internet access. Workshops will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:00 pm Mountain Time.

Participation in all workshops is mandatory for this course. The workshop schedule for each cohort is posted in the course description prior to enrollment. If you are not able to participate in any of the workshops, please enroll in a different section of the course that is compatible with your schedule.

Program Coordinators

Participation in the Master Remote Work Professional online certificate course is supervised by one of three program coordinators. The program coordinators will help guide you though the Canvas course, share hosting responsibilities for the workshops, and provide mentoring and resources to help you successfully prepare for remote work, college, freelancing or entrepreneurship.
Program Cohort
The coordinators will also assign a cohort group of other students who are taking the course. You will practice using collaborative tools like Slack with others in your cohort group to practice and develop effective remote work communication skills.

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The modules are designed to be completed in sequential order. All work must be completed before you can proceed to the next module. It is critical that assigned modules be completed before each workshop to enhance engagement and group discussion. All module quizzes and assignments are due on Thursday afternoons at 1:00 pm MST.

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Main Spotlight: How Rural Economies Can Leverage the Rise in Remote Work

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Main Spotlight: How Rural Economies Can Leverage the Rise in Remote Work

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Roberto Gallardo
@robertoge

Nailed it on the head when talking about #RemoteWork & #rural: "change in how we think of recruitment strategies: shifting away from business and skilled workforce attraction to one that focuses on attracting people through place-based strategies."

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June 18, 2020 | COVID-19 Trends Blog Series: How Rural Economies Can Leverage the Rise in Remote Work | By: Matthew Wagner, Ph.D., Vice President of Revitalization Programs, NMSC |

The ribbon cutting ceremony of The Vault, a coworking space in Charlevoix, Michigan. Credit: Charlevoix Main Street

COVID-19 has greatly impacted the way we work, including where we work. Estimates today suggest nearly one-third of the workforce is now working remotely due to the pandemic ( Kaiser Family Foundation poll). Further data suggests this will likely stick for many Americans, greatly accelerating a trend that was already present in society. In a recent survey by Garnter, nearly three out of four finance leaders said they plan to move at least 5 percent of their workforce that had previously reported to an office to a remote schedule full-time. According to a report by Upwork, some 73 percent of all companies will have remote workers by 2028.

For downtown, community, and economic developers, remote workers potentially represent a change in how we think of recruitment strategies: shifting away from business and skilled workforce attraction to one that focuses on attracting people through place-based strategies. Remote workers are typically well paid, and thus bring with them a boost to local spending and investment resources. A CNBC survey shows that a quarter of the roughly four million remote workers in the U.S. make more than $100,000 a year-compared to just 7 percent of the total in-office workforce-and 13 percent of those remote workers are remote full-time.

Shifts as a Result of Increases in Remote Workers

As remote work continues to accelerate, there are a number of likely implications, challenges, and opportunities that will arise from this COVID-19 trend. For commercial district professionals, we should anticipate the need to understand the impacts of increasing rates of remote work to the commercial office sector, co-working spaces, and rural living preferences.

Commercial Office Sector: While data is incomplete at this time, given the pandemic, anecdotal evidence suggests there will be reductions in office space demand. These reductions are likely to vary depending on sector. The worst-affected tourism and leisure industries will need less corporate space, while some professional services firms may be able to continue as normal with altered working practices. While many technology and e-commerce sectors are thriving, they are the most likely to embrace permanent virtual working. In addition, many companies will view this as an opportunity to cut occupancy costs. The saving grace for the office sector may be a continued need for social distancing, which will keep square footage needs higher relative to workers per square foot ratios.

Co-Working Spaces: While corporate co-working space complexes like WeWork have largely been empty during this period, it is likely that crunches to the office sector will not impact co-working spaces, especially in more rural communities. First, co-working spaces fill a valuable social role for remote workers. Isolation is commonly called out as a key issue for remote workers. In Buffer's State of Remote Work 2019 report, loneliness was cited as the second-biggest concern for remote workers. Secondly, co-working spaces can serve as a hybrid for existing businesses downsizing from a more permanent office or for seasonal residents in tourism-based areas needing temporary office space. Third, as highlighted in the first article of the trend series, entrepreneurship is likely to rise, and given capital constraints, co-working spaces offer a low-cost entry point for entrepreneurs to get started with their business launch. Finally, and perhaps most importantly for underserved areas, is the technology infrastructure commonly found in co-working spaces. The pandemic's resulting stay-at-home orders have revealed the great digital divide to which remote work necessitates.

Rural Economic Development: And finally, the COVID-19 impacts on remote work have created new opportunities for rural living and working. Preference for rural living has been on the rise during the pandemic-there has been a "flip" to demand in rural areas and away from cities, said Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman. Redfin's year-over-year change in pageviews shows searches for rural areas are up by 115 percent and searches for small towns are up by 88 percent.

There is discussion on the longevity of this increase. Debate on whether this is a temporary trend caused by urban density issues from the pandemic certainly exists. Plus, many challenges remain for rural communities to harness this opportunity, including housing diversity and the lack of cell and internet infrastructure in many areas. However, rural areas present more affordable housing and cost of living options and access to recreation and natural amenities that have also been examined as lacking within more dense cities. At the end of the day, the strength of this trend will be determined by how communities position themselves to leverage this growing interest in rural and small towns.

Insights for Main Streets

The following guidance is for Main Streets, community and economic development stakeholders, and political leadership to consider in reviewing the COVID-19 impacts on remote work. Broken down into two primary segments - programmatic activities and policy initiatives - this section provides examples and resources to help you harness the rise in remote work and/or continue to build on a remote work development strategy in your community.

Programming
1) Incentivize People Recruitment

Gaining attention are new incentives designed to recruit remote workers to live in a specific community and/or state. While many have involved larger second- and third-tier cities, smaller communities like North Platte, Nebraska, have launched programs to recruit by providing up to $5,000 in incentives for remote workers. Like most things, the following initiatives can be scaled to meet the community and cost of living:

Tulsa Remote Program: Under an innovative program called Tulsa Remote, Oklahoma's second city actively looked for people to move to Tulsa, seeking residents who would stay at least a year and bring their remote jobs with them. In return, successful applicants would get a $10,000 stipend, housing assistance, space at a co-working location and more, according to organizer of Tulsa Remote, which is funded by a local foundation. The Tulsa Remote program received more than 10,000 applications in just 10 weeks - 10 times what they had been anticipating.

Vermont Remote Worker Program: Vermont started offering $5,000 to anyone working remotely for a company based outside of the state who would come and live in Vermont. The initiative aimed to reverse an onerous trend: a third of the state population is older than 55 and will be set to retire in the next decade. Other cities have launched similar initiatives: New Haven, Connecticut, is providing up to $80,000 to attract homeowners. North Platte, Kansas, is offering $5,000 to remote workers.

Live + Work in Maine: Maine launched more of a marketing campaign called Boomerang to attract both remote workers and those simply choosing to come back to a more rural lifestyle. Unlike the initiatives previously discussed, there is not a funding or financing component, but this marketing strategy nonetheless can be an effective tool for presenting opportunities given the new interest in rural living.

2) Evaluate Co-Working Space Needs
Co-working spaces, while taking a hit during COVID-19 stay at home orders, are still likely to be a critical place-based asset for remote workers. However, it is important not to simply be fad-driven but instead to do a thorough analysis of likely space demand. There are many types of spaces to consider: private facilities, spaces within a library, a non-profit venture, and college or university spaces. Main Streets should also consider floor plans that allow for social distancing, and perhaps a need for more individual offices rather than one large shared space. Coworking Resources offers a number of guides helpful to getting started, understanding demand, and operating the financials of co-working spaces.
3) Become Part of a Remote Work Housing Network

Understand Impacts on Your Office Sector
There are a number of remote work short-term housing programs. For a monthly fee, remote workers can join these programs to then travel to a number of destinations and receive housing, co-working space, and other amenities, depending upon the program. For example, WanderBoss lets digital nomads travel on trips of four or six months between multiple cities, and provides a abundance of programming in each location. This article highlights the top 10 programs that sponsor similar efforts. Interestingly, there are currently no small, rural communities in this review that are offering a small-town-living type of atmosphere.

As indicated, there will likely be significant disruptions to traditional office developments. It will be important for Main Street programs to understand from property and business owners whether those disruptions are temporary or more permanent. In addition, considerations need to be made for creating interior design technical assistance programs for office spaces. These programs could provide support for tenants who need to redesign their office floor plans to accommodate social distancing, or for property owners who need to reimagine their former office space that is now less marketable.
5) Create a Rental Subsidy Program

Rather than offering grants for remote workers, consider working with local apartment owners to develop a program geared toward subsidizing the first few months of rent for remote workers. One incentive commonly used in commercial leasing is to subsidize rent by providing a one- to three-year sliding scale of rental subsidy in return for a longer-term lease commitment. While possible for incentivizing remote workers, this approach depends upon the financial feasibility of the mixed-use development and respective rental rates. A close example is Grant County, Indiana, whose Grants for Grads program offers a 20% discount on monthly rent if tenants sign a lease of 12 months or more.
6) Regionally Maintain and Grow your Remote Worker Networking Activities

In evaluating remote worker incentive programs, networking activities are a large component of the overall attraction to the area for remote workers. Common platforms involve educational activities (perhaps covering elements of remote working or trends and technologies to use); social activities like meet-up at a microbrewery; focus groups to discuss issues/barriers, etc.

7) Build a Brand

Charlevoix, Michigan, (pop. 2,513) developed a remote worker strategy, which included the pre-Covid launch of The Vault co-working space. While Charlevoix is competing against a number of urban markets that have many amenities for remote workers, there is opportunity for communities like Charlevoix to craft a counter-brand that highlights small town living, quality of life, recreation, affordability relative to most urban areas, and geographic proximity. When developing a branding and marketing strategy to target remote workers, seek alignment with other local community, tourism, and economic development stakeholders.
8) Develop a Housing Study

One of the primary considerations for remote workers seeking to relocate to an area will be housing diversity to meet the varied needs, especially for younger remote workers. Many rural communities and small towns are either limited in the diversity of housing-being primarily single-family houses and lacking apartments and/or downtown housing-or lacking affordable housing, especially in heavy tourism areas. Consider working with local and/or regional housing stakeholders and political officials to establish an inventory of current housing, pricing, gaps within the market, and likely demand.

While COVID-19 has accelerated the inherent opportunities for many rural and small towns in America to harness the potential economic growth opportunities through the attraction of remote workers, there remain a couple infrastructure hurdles.
1) A Call for a National Technology Infrastructure Program

Cell and internet coverage remain spotty and often slow in many areas. When there is coverage, it is often limited to a sole provider, with many turning to satellite internet or their phone's hotspot. While some progress has been made through private companies, there is simply not enough density of demand to create enough return on investment for the private sector. In 1956, the nation passed the Interstate Highway Act to develop America's transportation infrastructure. We need that same focus and level of federal resources as part of any future infrastructure bill. Until such time, economic development for most rural areas will be confined to the historical boom-and-bust cycles of extraction-based, seasonal-tourism-based economic development, and/or a consolidating factory agricultural economy.
2) Changes to Rural Housing Programs that Allow for Mixed Use Development

The USDA has a number of housing development and financing programs. However, they are primarily focused on single-family housing, and their multi-family housing programs are highly restrictive relative to commercial/mixed use development. Given that remote workers may desire proximity to business services, internet connectivity, and unique living opportunities, being able to use the USDA multi-family housing funds for downtown building renovations is an important programmatic consideration for USDA officials.

COVID-19 has only accelerated the trend in working from home. This trend compounded by growth in gig economy workers, freelancers, and consultants, a post-pandemic new normal will lead to a far greater portion of workers having the ability to make living decisions based less on where their employer is located and more on living preferences. The result will shape much of how we think about office space, where we live and thus work, and the place-based infrastructure that is needed to support these decisions. While challenges remain, Main Street programs are situated at the crossroads of these emerging opportunities, and thus are uniquely positioned to leverage for the benefit of their communities.

Disclaimer: This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for legal, insurance, liability, tax, or accounting advice. You should consult your own legal, insurance, tax, and accounting advisors for guidance on these matters.

Matthew Wagner, Ph.D., Vice President of Revitalization Programs: Matthew Wagner, Ph.D. serves as Vice President of Revitalization Programs at the National Main Street Center, Inc. In this role, he is responsible for driving the Center's field service initiatives including the development and delivery of technical services for Main Street America and Urban Main programs, directing the Center's new research agenda, as well as professional development programming through the Main Street America Institute.

Read Matthew's bio.

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Main Spotlight: How Rural Economies Can Leverage the Rise in Remote Work

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June 18, 2020 | COVID-19 Trends Blog Series: How Rural Economies Can Leverage the Rise in Remote Work | By: Matthew Wagner, Ph.D., Vice President of Revitalization Programs, NMSC | The ribbon cutting ceremony of The Vault, a coworking space in Charlevoix, Michigan.

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IANR Career-Ready micro-badges may be designed for different audiences. Determine the audience for your badge. The badge may be designed for one or more of these groups. Each area is a broad description of a Career-Ready competency

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1. Why make a Digital Badge?

IANR badges are designed to:

Break learning into small chunks.

Recognize learning that occurs outside of the classroom.

Recognize badge earners developing proficiency.

Support badge earners in demonstrating their individual learning journey.

Can be used to create a digital portfolio and shared electronically.

Digital badges complement existing credit-based, learning experiences such as courses, minors, certificates and degree programs. They are designed to recognize the competencies that our students and others develop outside the classroom. All badges should be related to extra-curricular programs and opportunities.

Badges also help potential employers and other stakeholders understand the value of all the experiences IANR offers on our campus, across the state and internationally. IANR encourages a framework of experiential learning including an applied activity and a reflection process used in the assessment of learning objectives. Experiential learning is structured around a set of activities that include:

Knowledge - a common foundation of understanding for the badge topic

Experiences - learners co-create their understanding based on their experience applying what they've learned

Reflection - looking back on their understanding and experiences and how they can be applied going forward provides the basis for deeper understanding

Faculty are encouraged to consider incorporating badges to existing extra-curricular opportunities like student ambassador programs, academic competitions or other engagement opportunities. Badges may help describe and promote your extra-curricular educational programming and outreach efforts.

2. Who is your audience?

IANR Career-Ready micro-badges may be designed for different audiences. Determine the audience for your badge. The badge may be designed for one or more of these groups.

Youth (K-12 student)

IANR undergraduate students

IANR graduate students

IANR alumni

Adult community members

3. Who are your stakeholders?

Who are the internal or external stakeholders that might be interested in this badge? What proficiencies will they value? Engaging stakeholders as you are developing a badge can make the badge more useful. Think about potential employers as you write the description of your badge.

IANR badging areas are based career readiness skills that employers value and define how badges relates to one another within our system. Each area is a broad description of a Career-Ready competency. Many badges will fit in more than one area. We ask you to select the one that is the best fit.

Collaborator

demonstrates ability to build collaborative relationships with people of diverse backgrounds and viewpoints and work together productively.

Initiator

demonstrates ability to personal initiative, organization and interpersonal skills to contribute to employer and community success.

Leader

demonstrates ability to work productively with others and their ability to leverage the strengths of others to achieve common goals.

Professional

demonstrates personal accountability, work habits, and your ability to build and maintain professional relationships.

Critical Thinker

demonstrates ability to use sound reasoning to analyze issues, make decisions, and overcome problems.

Technologist

demonstrates ability to select and use appropriate technology to accomplish a task.

Globalist

demonstrates ability to operate and communicate in different cultural contexts.

Communicator

demonstrates ability to articulate ideas clearly and communicate effectively and appropriately.

Diversity & Inclusion

demonstrates ability to contribute to diversity and inclusion through their personal and professional behavior.

Knowledge

demonstrates their knowledge/competency in a specific content area (i.e. food safety, equine, child development).

Other

For badge ideas that do not fit in any of these areas, clearly describe the competencies represented.

4. What will it cost to offer a badge?

Think about the cost of offering the badge. How will the costs of creating an online course or offering a training be covered? Is this badge for an existing program that participants already pay for? Take into consideration the time you will invest into the program; supplies or resources it may require; and additional costs like using Canvas Catalog when determining if there will be a cost to participants. Decisions about costs should be made in collaboration with your department/unit leadership.

5. Describing your digital badge.

The Title of your badge should be simple, concise yet descriptive. Consider adjectives to clarify the context and distinguish from other potential badges offered by other academic units or programs. Avoid common phrases like Leadership in Ag or Problem Solving. The title is the first piece of information badge earners, other educators, or potential employers have about the competency, skill or achievement this badge represents.

The short Description of your badge must demonstrate the competency it represents. It is highly recommended to work with internal (departments/colleges) and external (business & industry) stakeholders to determine which competencies they value. IANR badges help bridge the gap between workforce needs and the learners' mastery of knowledge and skills. In your description, focus on the learning, skill development or leadership that is required to earn this badge. Write the description for stakeholders, not badge earners. The description is limited to 250 characters.

You can start by completing the sentence: This badge recognizes the earner's accomplishment/competency in ....

Tags help badge earners or potential employers locate, sort and organize badges. Tags are like keywords. Tags are not required but will increase the visibility and usefulness of your badge. It recommended you include 3-5 tags.

Vocational areas

Skills

Topics

The Badging Criteria define what earners are required to do to earn the badge. A badge demonstrates how the earner has developed their proficiency or competency. How the earner demonstrates their proficiency is part of what makes each badge unique. This section allows you to expand on what was described in the Description of your badge. The criteria must be clear and specific. It will (1) describe the competency (skill, knowledge, leadership, etc); (2) explicate how the earner will demonstrate their competency; and (3) include supporting evidence that is required (must be included) or suggested (can be included).

Supporting evidence might document a completed project, a video, a performance-based assessment, or a description/reflection on their competency. Supporting evidence for a badge that represents completion of a learning experience or leadership experience, might include a description of the experience, a reflection by the badge earner of what they learned from the experience, a certificate, or a quiz from a non-credit course. Supporting evidence for a badge that represents participation in a competition might include a description of competency required for the competition, who sponsors the competition and how it is judged, and how the badge earner placed in the competition. It could be required, or suggested, that badge earners upload a digital copy of a project they submitted, their scoring sheet, or placement in the competition.

Demonstrate developing a skill

Demonstrate mastering knowledge

Demonstrate leadership

The Approval process describes how it will be confirmed that the badge earner has met the criteria for this badge. This might be done online through an LMS (leaning management system), or as certification from a faculty or staff member. Some badges may be approved though your department/college. It is essential that this process be clear and verifiable. Consider the amount of time it may take if you decide you will certify completion of each badge. If you recommend someone else will certify completion - be sure you have their permission to be an approver and how they are qualified.

You badge may include an Expiration Date. Some badges recognize a life-long competency. Others, such as first-aid training, demonstrate mastery of knowledge that needs to be updated frequently. Expiration date is set relative to the badge award date. Decide if this badge should expire, and when it should expire.

Optional URL Some badges are for existing opportunities, and some proposers promote their badge and how to earn it on their web site. This is not required, but if a URL is included, it should be publicly accessible, not behind a login such as a Canvas course.

Badges may be awarded for stand-alone experiences. However, many badges are intended to provide a progression of accomplishment (reflected in naming as I, II, and III or bronze, silver, gold). If it will take longer than 15 hours to complete the badge, you will need to break it into micro-credentials. Micro-credentials are a defined a set of stacked badges that represent a progression of learning and lead to a milestone badge that is awarded automatically when the learner has earned each of the micro-credentials that lead up to the milestone.

6. Make a proposal.

When you've decided who the audience and stakeholders are for the badge; how much it will cost; and how it will be described, you are ready to put together a Badge proposal. Complete the Noncredit Permission Request form and submit it to your immediate supervisor for approval. You will be notified when the badge is approved and created in Badgr.

7. Enrolling Participants.

As soon as your badge has been built in Badgr, you can begin promoting the badge. Let both your audience and your stakeholders know about this opportunity. Learners will need to enroll in an online course or sign up for an experience, like being a student ambassador. Many badges do not require students to sign up until they are ready to claim their badge.

8. Awarding Badges.

Badges are awarded when learners have completed all the badge requirements. A badge may be set up so it is awarded automatically, or they are awarded by IANR Digital Badging team upon your notification. When you request the IANR Digital Badging team award a badge, you must provide the first and last name and email of all badge earners to ( email). Badge earners receive their digital badge via email. Badgr can also generate a certificate when badges are awarded. At any time you can see in Badgr how many badges have been awarded.

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IANR badges are designed to: Break learning into small chunks. Recognize learning that occurs outside of the classroom. Recognize badge earners developing proficiency. Support badge earners in demonstrating their individual learning journey. Can be used to create a digital portfolio and shared electronically.

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Urban Institute-Income and Benefit Policy Center

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Urban Institute-Income and Benefit Policy Center

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Foundational Digital Skills for Career Progress | Many Workers and Job Seekers Lack Foundational Digital Skills

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 Creating an EDUCATION & WORKFORCE PIPELINE Your Community/Region 

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 Creating an EDUCATION & WORKFORCE PIPELINE Your Community/Region 

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University of Arkansas

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Technology

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America Needs a New Workforce Education System- MIT Open Learning

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America Needs a New Workforce Education System- MIT Open Learning

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Mention credentialing, short programs focused on skill building, and competency based education

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Developing large-scale workforce education programs that enable workers to advance or change industries will not only reduce income inequality, but also support domestic innovation.

The American dream promised that if you worked hard, you could move up, with well-paying, working-class jobs providing a gateway to an ever-growing middle class. Today, however, the nation is seeing increasing inequality rather than economic convergence. Technological advances, combined with profound labor market shifts during the pandemic, are putting quality jobs out of reach for workers who lack the proper skills and training. One of the best ways to address this challenge is to improve workforce education.

Learning on the job has, of course, long been a feature of most occupations. But developing formal programs that allow most workers to advance from their current position or to even change industries has not been a priority for decades. Yet both research and practical experience have shown that such programs, designed to improve skills and education over the course of an employee's work life, are precisely what is needed. Not just any jobs program will do. They must be carefully focused, flexible enough to meet emerging needs, and tailored to lifelong learning. Failure to meet these requirements could consign millions of workers to dead-end jobs during their most productive years.

The benefits of developing large-scale programs for workforce education will extend beyond the already considerable ones of addressing inequality. A more skilled workforce also contributes to innovation. Industrial policy in the United States has largely focused on two preproduction tasks aimed at earlier-stage innovation: support for agencies funding academic and lab research and development, and support for industry R&D through the federal R&D tax credit. But there hasn't been a complementary workforce education thrust. Indeed, many economists view science and engineering at the college and graduate school levels as the principal educational key to future growth. Yet as innovation diffuses into production-be it robotic welding or new coating technologies-R&D has proven to be not the only educational need. A skilled technical workforce has an innovation role as well-in programming the robotic welders, for example, and in improving the coating technologies.

THE SOCIAL DISRUPTION IS REAL

Overall, job opportunities for high school graduates have shrunk significantly in recent years. For example, the share of men of prime working age with no college experience who are not working at all reached 18% in 2013. At the same time, median income for men who had not completed high school fell by 20% between 1990 and 2013 and by 13% for those with a high school diploma or some college. In a country that prides itself on its social mobility, this was a clear signal of a loss to middle-income ranks and of growing social inequality, as well as a harbinger of a postindustrial backlash.

A closer look at two sectors-manufacturing and retail-reveals the turmoil. Historically, manufacturing has been an important middle-class pathway for high school educated males-including African Americans and Hispanic Americans. From 2000 to 2010, however, manufacturing employment fell by 5.8 million jobs (or almost a third), from 17.3 million to 11.5 million. And by 2015, it had recovered to only about 12 million jobs, where it remains.

Retail, which often offers a first job or a job of refuge, is in trouble as well, as stores, malls, and entire chains have closed over the past decade. First, the extraordinary expansion in the second half of the 20th century crashed against the 2008 financial crunch. Then the disruptive growth of online ordering accelerated a decline in in-person retail even further. Warehousing positions offset some of this job loss, but they went to different people-female store clerks weren't hired to do heavy lifting in warehouses. Fifteen million people were employed in retail trades at the beginning of 2020. Then the coronavirus hit.

The pandemic has been a shock not just to retail but to much of the system. The volume of jobs lost has been dramatic. Restaurants lost 5.5 million jobs in April 2020, then reopenings during the summer let the industry regain some jobs, only to lose them again with the spike in infections during the fall. Similarly, retail lost 2.3 million store jobs in April, rebounded by a million jobs by June, but by fall the job numbers were falling again. In travel and tourism, 35% of the jobs have been lost since February 2020. These aren't the only hard-hit sectors, but they are big ones. Many jobs in retail, the restaurant industry, tourism, and travel won't be coming back: bankruptcies are already climbing. Millions of workers in these sectors will be stranded.

This latest disruption will make American economic inequality even worse than it was before the pandemic. Workers from hard-hit sectors will need to shift to new sectors where there will be jobs. And to thrive, they must get not just any job but quality jobs. While lower-end services jobs had been growing as the middle class thinned out, new Labor Department data show the coronavirus has now hit that sector, so job openings will tend to require higher skills.

Opportunities exist. Health care, for example, is embracing suites of new technologies that will require skilled technologists at good pay. Manufacturing and utilities have aging workforces that will require millions of new workers in coming years, albeit for increasingly skilled jobs. The trick to minimizing further disruption will be to provide the skills and training needed to educate and shape the current worker pool.

WANTED: WORKER SKILLS AND HUMAN SKILLS

The United States was the first nation to develop mass higher education programs, and we used them as an engine for innovation as well as economic and social mobility. The high school degree was once the acceptable basic credential, but has since been displaced. A college degree is now the key differentiator for economic well-being.

Higher education is also a complex, established "legacy" sector, reluctant to change and adapt its operating modes to fit new needs. Although many of the necessary prerequisites are disconnected from actual job and life skills, college degrees have become a default credential for employers because there are no others that are as widely accepted and used.

Business requires new skills, particularly in information technology, so the workforce as a whole requires upskilling-current workers as well as incoming college graduates and those without college degrees. And yet universities have not embraced or contributed to these workforce developments.

Herein lies an opportunity for institutions of higher learning, particularly at a time when they themselves face increasing financial pressure: they can offer more career-related skills in addition to what they teach now. This approach may enable them to reach beyond their current declining demographic of 18- to 26-year-olds. Some critics have worried that this shift might erode liberal art traditions. We argue the opposite: in fact "human skills" such as critical thinking, creativity, writing, and communicating are in high demand, and can flourish in this new configuration.

Unlike many European nations, the United States never built a comprehensive workforce education system. So perhaps it comes as no surprise that current programs lack the proper focus, are small in scale, and siloed from each other. The Department of Labor's training programs don't reach the oncoming higher technical skills or help incumbent workers acquire them. In turn, the Department of Education's programs tend to target college, not workforce education, and don't mesh with the Labor programs. With the exception of a few states, such as Massachusetts, the vocational education system in high schools has largely been dismantled. And community colleges, which could provide advanced training in emerging fields, are largely underfunded-not to mention that their completion rates hover around a third.

Most colleges and universities don't see workforce education as their bailiwick and so aren't linked to the other participants in the system. Overall, the education system is disconnected from the workplace, and a system for lifelong learning is missing. In addition, the existing workforce education system operates at too small a scale to meet the growing demand. The system needs not only reforms but also the ability to reach many more people, more effectively. Online education is one tool that can help with the scale-up-if applied correctly.Addressing these problems should help to reduce economic inequality and deepen our capacity for innovation.

THE NEW COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRY

Community colleges could become the cornerstone of a robust, much-needed workplace education system. A number of these institutions, some highlighted below, have already begun to show the way. They will all need additional building blocks, however, to achieve the necessary scale and flexibility of offerings.

Asnuntuck Community College is in the middle of an aerospace industry corridor along the Connecticut River Valley. It has developed advanced manufacturing certificate programs, using a new state-supported, state-of-the-manufacturing-art equipment center. Enrollees include not only its own students, but also high school students as well as workers at area companies, small and large.

Valencia College in Florida set out to reach a large economic underclass stuck in low-end, low-paid, part-time service jobs. It tailored various short programs to help students quickly get on a career ladder leading to secure jobs with benefits that can support families. Each program lasted 10 to 22 weeks, five days per week for eight hours a day. Valencia offered industry-standard certificates in advanced manufacturing, construction, heavy equipment, logistics, and health care fields. Importantly, these certificates could be stacked for multiple, certified complementary skills and credits toward a Valencia associate degree.

Trident Technical College in Charleston, South Carolina, worked with area firms and the state's Chamber of Commerce to develop a new youth apprenticeship program beginning in the junior year of high school. Students employed by participating companies go to high school classes in the morning, where they must take math and science, to the college at midday for technical courses, and to their sponsoring company for well-paying jobs in afternoons. This takes them out of a sometimes-disruptive high school culture into higher-expectation environments. By tearing down the wall between learning and work, the program places entry-level workers on a path to quality jobs and education.

Elsewhere, the US military has pioneered efforts to teach hands-on skills through virtual and augmented reality. The Navy's Training Systems Division in Florida, for example, has developed programs that use online simulations run on touch screens and high-end gaming computers. The Navy is now shifting a substantial amount of its training for advanced equipment on ships, submarines, and at air bases into these online systems.

KEY FOUNDATIONS

Several elements are common to the most successful programs for workplace education. They include:

Forming short programs. Programs focused on technical skills should typically run for 10 to 20 weeks. People who have been in the workforce won't be able to take off time for two- or four-year degrees; they have families to support and obligations to meet.

Embracing credentialing. Programs should provide certificates for specific groups of related skills, based on demonstrated competencies. These should be stacked toward college degrees and credits, which remain the most broadly recognized credentials.

Supporting competency-based education. Programs should be organized around demonstrated skills broken down into particular competencies, unlike today's education that is based on an agricultural calendar and standard completion times. If students show the skill competency, they get the certificate, regardless of how long they have spent in the program. This can cut time in school and student costs, and reward practical experience.

Developing appropriate online education. Online modules will be critical if workforce education is going to scale up to meet postpandemic needs. And yet online education can't replace effective instructors or hands-on work with actual equipment. Online education is best suited to conveying and assessing the foundational information behind the skills.

Breaking down the work/learn barrier. Programs should be linked to industry, as today's schools have become too disconnected from the workplace. Linkage programs in the form of apprenticeships, internships, and cooperative programs are needed to get students into the workplace, earning money while they build skills. At the same time, they can make a direct connection between the competencies they must learn for greater job opportunities.

Improving completion rates. Completion rates at community colleges should be at least 70%, up from the 30% rate at many of them today. Frustration with required remedial prep courses leads many students to drop out. Successful programs have found one solution in integrating the supportive course work into students' study program for career skills so they can clearly see how the remedial work is relevant to their career opportunities.

Embedding industry-recognized credentials into educational programs. Many employers want the assurance of skill knowledge that a credential approved and accepted by industry provides. It creates an additional and parallel pathway to help students toward employment. It also ensures that academic programs are relevant to actual industry needs.

The latest research on workforce education is quite clear. Federal resources need to scale up. States, with backing from federal education funds, must implement the new strategies outlined above. Some states and employers, and the community colleges they work with, are starting to embrace these steps. The workforce disruption from the pandemic could be a driver that forces further action. A more equitable and innovative future is possible, provided we leave our previously scattershot approaches behind.

William B. Bonvillian is a lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and senior director for special projects at MIT Open Learning. Sanjay E. Sarma is the Flowers Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT and vice president of MIT Open Learning. Their newly released book Workforce Education - A New Roadmap (MIT Press 2021) examines these issues in detail.

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America Needs a New Workforce Education System

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Developing large-scale workforce education programs that enable workers to advance or change industries will not only reduce income inequality, but also support domestic innovation. The American dream promised that if you worked hard, you could move up, with well-paying, working-class jobs providing a gateway to an ever-growing middle class.

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Learners need more affordable and shorter education-to-workforce pathways.

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COVID-19 has transformed the education technology landscape in ways few could have anticipated. As schools and universities shuttered, working adults (those who remained employed) were asked, seemingly overnight, to adapt to a fully remote workplace and a permanently altered way of doing business. Employers enacted broad layoffs and unemployment claims in the U.S. have reached nearly 46 million. Online learning-often touted as an up-and-coming way of delivering education-took its place on the world stage as the de facto model, regardless of how prepared students, employees and educators were for the experience.

As edtech-focused investors, we at Rethink Education set out to unpack the impact of the pandemic. How has the world of education and technology transformed with COVID-19 and what solutions will now be of interest given the shifting priorities and challenges of stakeholders?

COVID-19 is likely to accelerate many of the trends we have been seeing in the future of work and is propelling an economic and digital transformation. It has created new demands of the workforce, from digital literacy to " power skills." Frontline workers have been particularly impacted. (The industries hit hardest by job losses have occurred in food services, healthcare and social services, and retail, in total representing half of the 21 million jobs lost from February through April.) The new nature of remote work has presented challenges to all employees. Key questions around how to help the vulnerable access training and economic opportunity, and how to support meaningful personal development and skills advancement for all learners and workers, are even more critical today.

We interviewed a number of leaders and decision-makers in the space, including heads of learning and development, workforce strategists, and executives and corporate development teams of public and private education companies. Below are our key findings on where stakeholders in workforce training and enterprise learning believe technology will be mission-critical in addressing challenges out of, and beyond, COVID-19.

Workforce Training

Learners need more affordable and shorter education-to-workforce pathways. In previous recessions, a subset of people flocked to higher education to weather the storm. In the current crisis, with higher education itself impacted, people need shorter-form, affordable training that immediately yields practical and in-demand skills, and can effectively guarantee job placement. Here are some of the non-traditional models and opportunities in this category that we are most excited about:

1. Boot camps for high-tech jobs, but also middle-skills jobs in COVID-19 impacted industries such as allied healthcare and manufacturing. We are excited about opportunities in the skilled trades and programs that can reskill and prepare someone for an alternate, higher-paying career path in just 12 to 15 weeks. We are interested in just-in-time training ( SV Academy offers sales training for new hires paid for by employers) and last-mile training ( Pathstream offers employer-branded digital skills training for software platforms) that are tied into strong job placement prospects.

2. Tech-enabled apprenticeships and high school-to-workforce pathways. The model of mixing classroom learning with practical vocational experience has been effective in Europe, where employers tend to have a longer-term view of retaining and training their employees. In the U.S., there are currently only roughly 650,000 apprentices, a small fraction of the workforce, but COVID-19 has exacerbated the need for stronger workforce-based education pathways.

3. Transitional solutions that help people shift from one industry to another. Beyond education, we need tools to help people better navigate the complexities of today's labor market. Technology can help surface the shortest, most viable path to higher wage work based on one's existing skills and available training options that offer demonstrable return on investment. Guild Education recently developed Next Chapter to guide displaced workers into higher-wage roles through education. Microsoft recently announced a training initiative to bring digital skills to 25 million people worldwide, with a focus on using data to identify the right in-demand jobs and learning paths.

4. Tools measuring "equivalencies" in education. Unfortunately, there is significant friction in the labor market, with an estimated 70 million low-wage workers without degrees who are overlooked by employers despite having abilities to perform higher-wage work. We are interested in the power of competency-based assessments that can interpret "equivalent" non-traditional education signals, and other assessments that can predict fit and retention of candidates to ease this friction in the labor market. Employers are increasingly open to these alternative credentials: Google recently started offering Career Certificate programs which it will consider the equivalent of a 4-year degree.

Enterprise Learning

In enterprise learning, here are the trends that we're watching closely when it comes to how companies are supporting their employees.

1. Sales opportunities in enterprise markets remain strong. Historically, Learning & Development ("L&D") budgets have been closely correlated with payroll, and there was concern that COVID-19 would lead to a drop. Employers did note a broad reduction in budget (in particular for less essential offerings such as executive coaching) but expressed that investing in better tools to deliver effective training was more important than ever. In a SHRM survey, 68 percent of respondents reported sustaining their training budget through the pandemic. A surprising percentage of training budgets pre-COVID-19 were still allocated to classroom-based training and now companies are scrambling to find alternatives that are scalable across a fully distributed workforce.

2. The transition to online has accelerated the shift from top-down programmatic learning to bottom-up, continuous, peer-to-peer learning. Given the speed at which L&D leaders needed to transition from in-person to virtual training, enterprises needed to prioritize agility over efficiency. Whereas in previous years, L&D would systematically distribute perfected, pre-packaged content, leaders are now looking to quickly spin up a mix of content in flexible ways. Employees are also demanding a greater variety of resources, and companies are responding. Coursera just raised $130 million and reported that its enterprise business, which serves over 2,500 companies, has grown 70 percent year over year and now accounts for a quarter of its revenue.

Companies are also increasingly interested in "portals" and resource hubs, such as Learning Experience Platforms ("LXP") like Degreed, to not only aggregate but also curate content libraries, increase the discoverability of both training materials and user-generated content, and build learning journeys that can create a directed educational experience.

3. Virtual learning is here to stay, and focus is turning to engagement and efficacy. Leaders are exploring new mediums that provide opportunities for learners to apply their knowledge, so that they're not only watching video content. Simulations and other "try now" activities that support tactical training in the workflow, such as Lessonly, also help deliver practical learning at the moment of need.

4. Increased focus on skills mapping and development. Companies are looking to integrate the skills development platform with other HR systems, from applicant tracking systems to mobility and talent marketplace platforms. Degreed recently acquired Adepto in December 2019 to track skills and then recently raised $32 million in a down market to invest further in talent mobility. There is a powerful opportunity to map the shortest pathway for each employee to a higher-paying role and suggest training resources or team projects to bridge that gap.

5. Other interesting ideas L&D leaders mentioned include chatbots to provide training "nudges", and bringing learning tools directly into collaboration platforms such as Slack. Slack recently acquired Rimeto, which will help employees see skills and proficiencies of co-workers to better find expertise across the business. Industry leaders have already begun re-imagining how corporate learning fits within the workflow tech ecosystem.

(Disclosure: Degreed, Guild Education, Lessonly, Pathstream and SV Academy are in Rethink's portfolio.)

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What Workforce Education Is Learning From the Pandemic - EdSurge News

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COVID-19 has transformed the education technology landscape in ways few could have anticipated. As schools and universities shuttered, working adults (those who remained employed) were asked, seemingly overnight, to adapt to a fully remote workplace and a permanently altered way of doing business. Employers enacted broad layoffs and unemployment claims in the U.S.

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APEC Digital Workforce Development Project Resources

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APEC Digital Workforce Development Project Resources

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US Dept of Ed- Office of Educational Technology

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Disclaimer: This web site contains information and resources from public and private organizations that may be useful to the reader. Inclusion of this information does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any products or services offered or views expressed.

This web site also contain hyperlinks and URLs created and maintained by outside organizations, which are provided for the reader's convenience. The Department is not responsible for the accuracy of the information contained therein.

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APEC Digital Workforce Development Project Resources - Office of Educational Technology

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Disclaimer: This web site contains information and resources from public and private organizations that may be useful to the reader. Inclusion of this information does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any products or services offered or views expressed.

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Insights from Communities Whose Young People Are Climbing the Income Ladder

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Economic Development & Workforce Preparation Logic Model- CEDIK

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Economic Development & Workforce Preparation Logic Model- CEDIK

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https://cedik.ca.uky.edu/files/economic_development_and_workforce_prep_logic_model.pdf

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Efforts to strengthen and expand workforce skills have historically been addressed by Cooperative Extension in several ways. For example, a specific need, such as technology training, has been incorporated into various program areas (Elbert and Alston 2005).

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ECOP's Budget and Legislative Committee has developed this Advocacy and Education Toolkit to provide ECOP leadership and the Cooperative Extension System (CES) with consistent messaging and resources focused on CES advocacy and education priorities.

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ECOP on Broadband Access & Digital Skills

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ECOP on Broadband Access & Digital Skills

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Small businesses benefit from building an online presence and a recent study demonstrated the valuable role of Extension educators in digital literacy programming to assist small businesses take advantage of those benefits.

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ECOP's Budget and Legislative Committee has developed this Advocacy and Education Toolkit to provide ECOP leadership and the Cooperative Extension System (CES) with consistent messaging and resources focused on CES advocacy and education priorities.

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a suite of educational/training programs, technical assistance/planning, metrics, and tools to help your community or region become digitally inclusive

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As the socioeconomic landscape continues to digitize, digital exclusion is the number one threat to community and economic development. For this reason, our center has developed a suite of educational/training programs, technical assistance/planning, metrics, and tools to help your community or region become digitally inclusive. Our engagement toolbox can provide a basic understanding of online presence for small business owners or develop a digital engagement plan to make your community more responsive and increase civic engagement to measuring the digital divide in your neighborhoods. Reach out to us so we can work with you as your community or region transitions into a digital mindset and inclusiveness.

Digital Ready Businesses (DRB)

Digital Ready Community (DRC)

Digital Inclusion and Community Development 101

Essential Digital Employability Skills (EDES)

iFront Door

Regional Digital Fellows Program

Tech academy

Comprehensive Digital Inclusion Plan

Intelligent Community Action Plan

Broadband Data Validation and Demand Aggregation Survey

Interactive Broadband Planning and Adoption Tool

Digital Economy Analysis

Individual Digital Capital Survey

Homework Gap Analysis

Manufacturing Artificial Intelligence (AI) Adoption Survey

Remote Work and e-Learning Vulnerability Data

Remote Work Readiness and Opportunities Survey

State of Digital Inclusion Reports

Broadband Planning Technical Assistance

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As the socioeconomic landscape continues to digitize, digital exclusion is the number one threat to community and economic development. For this reason, our center has developed a suite of educational/training programs, technical assistance/planning, metrics, and tools to help your community or regi

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University of Missouri- Workforce Development

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University of Missouri- Workforce Development

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Missouri Resources on the intertwining of Workforce & Broadband

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This story map explores four factors affecting workforce development across Missouri: population change, commuting impacts, workforce training, and skills mismatch. Use this story map to explore workforce gaps, opportunities, and partnerships.

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How can we build off of existing UK resources and further land-grant engagement?

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July 31, 2020 | As remote work remains an important public health strategy during the pandemic and our Coronavirus (COVID-19) response, we created a go-to guide - The Temporary Remote Playbook - to help you sustain working from home.

Get your playbook for continued remote work

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July 31, 2020 | As remote work remains an important public health strategy during the pandemic and our Coronavirus (COVID-19) response, we created a go-to guide - The Temporary Remote Playbook - to help you sustain working from home.

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University of Illinois Extension- multiple partnerships with college with UI

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The Digital Innovation Leadership Program (DILP) is a two-year grant provided through the University of Illinois Office of the Provost and Illinois Extension and Outreach Initiative. DILP's goal is to support digital literacy education and programming throughout the state of Illinois.

DILP is an interdisciplinary collaboration that brings together a diverse array of individuals from higher education and community development. This network allows DILP to leverage resources and expertise to run programs to foster and understand digital literacy and build key community capacities by:

Providing resources for programs through partnerships with Extension, 4-H, and other community organizations

Educating educators about digital literacy programming and activities

Raising awareness with public officials about what DILP does and our digital literacy efforts

Bringing together Illinois faculty, staff, and students to apply research to practice, from across campus units including School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Extension, Illinois Informatics Institute, C-U Community Fab Lab, College of Engineering, College of Business, College of Media, College of Fine and Applied Arts, and School of Labor and Employment Relations

Awarded in September 2014, DILP is one of six collaborative projects awarded to help further Extension's mission and outreach throughout Illinois.

The principal investigator of the DILP project is Dr. Jon Gant. To learn more about our partners, please see our People page.

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Illinois Digital Innovation Leadership Program

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The Digital Innovation Leadership Program (DILP) is a two-year grant provided through the University of Illinois Office of the Provost and Illinois Extension and Outreach Initiative. DILP's goal is to support digital literacy education and programming throughout the state of Illinois.

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Existing State Resources related to Adoption and Utilization

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Existing State Resources related to Adoption and Utilization

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Includes various state extension resources focused on helping business succeed

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4-H Tech Changemakers: Click here

This program recruited and trained young residents to help with digital literacy targeted at older residents.

Columbia Gorge Broadband Consortium: Click here

This website provides information on many broadband-related things such as who works on websites in your community to what kind of service is available at your house.

Digital Ready Businesses - Purdue Extension: Click here

This program targets rural businesses at a basic level to help them improve their online presence.

iFront Door - Purdue Extension: Click here

This program helps communities assess and proactively manage their online reputation

Illinois Digital Innovation Leadership Program: Click here

This program provides grants to support digital literacy education and programming throughout the state of Illinois

E-Commerce Learning Modules: Click here

This repository provides useful programs and resources regarding e-commerce.

Mississippi State University Bricks-to-Clicks Program: Click here

This program helps business leaders create and implement marketing plans that grow revenue.

Nebraska Broadband Initiative: Click here

This workbook helps communities understand how broadband can be leveraged and also how to stimulate broadband development.

Oklahoma Rural Library Hotspot Lending Program: Click here

This resource provides information on rural library hotspot lending programs, including statistics and materials for interested libraries.

UGA Cyber Security for Small Business: Click here

This consists of a two-hour workshop aimed at helping businesses plan for and protect themselves from cyber threats.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Connected Aging Communities: Click here

This website contains broadband and e-commerce resources.

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The National Digital Education Extension Team | SRDC

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4-H Tech Changemakers: Click here This program recruited and trained young residents to help with digital literacy targeted at older residents. Columbia Gorge Broadband Consortium: Click here This website provides information on many broadband-related things such as who works on websites in your community to what kind of service is available at your house.

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WSU Extension joins partnership to make digital skills training accessible

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WSU Extension is partnering with a Wenatchee-based technology outreach organization to give rural job seekers and professionals new skills thanks to a grant from Microsoft Philanthropies.

This grant and subsequent partnership will expand the Greater Wenatchee Area Technology Alliance's UpSkill Program, which brings free online trainings and resources to job seekers and professionals. The program will expand beyond its initial focus on Adams, Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant and Okanogan counties to bring access to these skills trainings to individuals across the state.

Hundreds of free online trainings and low-cost certifications are available to assist workers looking to develop digital skills as well as soft skills like communication and collaboration.

The partnership comes at a vital time, as workers across the country navigate the instability brought by COVID-19. Developing these new skills now also puts workers in a better position for the ever-advancing digital economy.

Microsoft, LinkedIn and Github are also lending their resources and expertise to the partnership to better understand where skill gaps exist and work to fill them with resources and training. The partnership is funded as part of a $20 million effort by Microsoft Philanthropies to reach more than 22 million people internationally who are negatively impacted by the digital divide.

"Partnering with GWATA, Microsoft, LinkedIn, and GitHub is strong recognition that skills training and the workforce are evolving and progressing," Trevor Lane, an associate professor and state specialist with WSU Extension, said. "Improving and expanding digital skills will be critical to education and employment credentials. Some reports estimate that more than 40% of today's jobs will not exist five to 10 years from now."

Employers in the targeted counties are also getting in on the action by sharing information on the UpSkill website with their employees. WSU Extension and GWATA are further building relationships with libraries, economic development centers and schools across the region to expand UpSkill's usage. Organizers are hoping to see more than 50,000 people access the skills portal. More opportunities for people on tribal lands and in rural areas to engage will open up alongside existing efforts to improve broadband access in these locations.

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WSU Extension joins partnership to make digital skills training accessible | WSU Insider | Washington State University

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WSU Extension is partnering with a Wenatchee-based technology outreach organization to give rural job seekers and professionals new skills thanks to a grant from Microsoft Philanthropies. This grant and subsequent partnership will expand the Greater Wenatchee Area Technology Alliance's UpSkill Program, which brings free online trainings and resources to job seekers and professionals.

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REIMAGINING WORKFORCE POLICY IN THE AGE OF DISRUPTION: A STATE GUIDE FOR PREPARING THE FUTURE WORKFORCE NOW

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REIMAGINING WORKFORCE POLICY IN THE AGE OF DISRUPTION: A STATE GUIDE FOR PREPARING THE FUTURE WORKFORCE NOW

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National Governors Association

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North Carolina State Extension and Continuing Education partnership

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The NC State

Digital Skills Bootcamps

The McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education (MCE&CE) acts as a gateway for students to access the vast intellectual and technical resources at NC State University. MCE&CE was originally established in 1924 as the College Extension Division, and since then, it has been dedicated to continually evolving to meet the educational needs of learners, as well as organizations, governmental agencies, and corporations. Since its inception, MCE&CE has proudly been dedicated to delivering public service first, as established by Jane S. McKimmon, a pioneer in the field of continuing education.

We're Here For You

Our priority is your professional success. From your call with an admissions advisor, through the entire program, up to graduation day, our success management team is here to make sure you get the most from your chosen bootcamp. Our career services team is standing by to guide you towards getting hired and enjoying a satisfying, successful new career.

*There is no guarantee of job placement.

Our Partnership

with HackerU

HackerU's accelerated program prepares students for today's fast-paced digital economy. With over a decade of experience as the world's premier digital skills and cybersecurity education provider, HackerU works with top-tier academic institutions, government organizations, and global enterprises to offer advanced workforce and professional development programs in digital technology.

GET THE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE TO

DRIVE YOU FORWARD

Our Digital Skills Bootcamps are constantly evolving to incorporate the latest tools, trends, and techniques used by each industry. The educational program you choose will include comprehensive training to set you on the path to several career track options and ensure the pursuit of career excellence is within reach.

These non-credit professional programs are offered by the McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education (MCE&CE) at NC State University.

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The NC State The McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education (MCE&CE) acts as a gateway for students to access the vast intellectual and technical resources at NC State University. MCE&CE was originally established in 1924 as the College Extension Division, and since then, it has been dedicated to continually evolving to meet the educational needs of learners, as well as organizations, governmental agencies, and corporations.

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Kansas State University (non-extension)

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Give your career new life

Get skilled in
digital technology

There's so much more to learn beyond theory. In our Digital Skills Bootcamps, you can learn through hands-on experience and practical training and become familiar with the latest tools to take your capabilities to the next level.

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Digital Skills Bootcamps | Kansas State University

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Get skilled in digital technology There's so much more to learn beyond theory. In our Digital Skills Bootcamps, you can learn through hands-on experience and practical training and become familiar with the latest tools to take your capabilities to the next level.

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Utah State University

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Utah State University
Purdue has partnered to offer course within state- see here https://pcrd.purdue.edu/remoteworkcertificate/?_ga=2.120470152.1818138582.1625241764-784319878.1625241764

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I took the Rural Online Initiative course and was awarded the Master Remote Work Professional certificate in June of 2020. Because of that, I acquired a job with a Fortune 500 company called On Air Parking. I feel very fortunate to have the freedom to tak...

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I took the Rural Online Initiative course and was awarded the Master Remote Work Professional certificate in June of 2020. Because of that, I acquired a job with a Fortune 500 company called On Air Parking. I feel very fortunate to have the freedom to tak...

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DIGITAL SKILLS FOR AN EQUITABLE RECOVERY

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DIGITAL SKILLS FOR AN EQUITABLE RECOVERY

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National Skills Recovery