⬇️ Inside this issue:

• A special thank-you from Thania to wrap the year

• The Credential Landscape: a look at the architects behind LERs

• The new holiday movie that’s surprisingly relevant to women in the workforce

INTERESTING READS

📜 New standards are pushing resume and credential interoperability forward.

📉 A new report shows workforce mobility is at its lowest since 2016, raising red flags about U.S. competitiveness.

📊 The Workforce Demand Dashboard tracks real-time labor market needs across major U.S. metros.

🖥️ From broken ATS systems to recruiter overload, tech has quietly wrecked the hiring process.

HOLIDAY WISH

I’d like to say thank you.

As 2025 wraps up, I want to take a moment to say thank you for being here.

When I entered the LER space as the self-proclaimed "newbie," I didn't just need information—I needed community. A home. A hub where people could learn together and welcome others into the world of workforce development and the LER industry without the gatekeeping or jargon that makes this work feel inaccessible.

I didn't know if anyone else felt the same way.

Turns out, hundreds of you did.

Wow, at what we've built together

We've created 20 issues of SkillsScoop this year. When I approached Robert about starting this newsletter, I had no idea what to expect. I certainly didn't dream we'd build a community of 300 subscribers with open rates that prove you're not just subscribed—you're engaged, you're reading, you're sharing, and you're growing this with us!!!

Each one of you has contributed to this. Your patience as we figured things out. Your support when we tried new things. Your commitment to this industry and to making it better.

We don't all agree on which technology is best or the right approach to implementation. But we all share a vision: improving workforce mobility, creating real upskilling opportunities, and making every learning experience count so we can positively impact society.

That shared vision? That's what makes this community matter. That's what makes you matter.

This work needs you to be bold

Here's the thing: LERs and workforce development don't become mainstream by accident. They become mainstream because people like you talk about them. Share them. Advocate for them.

So as we head into 2026, I'm asking you to be bold. Talk about LERs at the dinner table. Bring them up in meetings. Post about them on LinkedIn. Refer your friends and colleagues to SkillsScoop. Make noise about what you're learning and why it matters.

This industry is at a tipping point, and you're part of the movement pushing it forward. Don't underestimate the power of your voice.

How you can support SkillsScoop in 2026

If you want to help us keep building this community, here's how:

• Refer your friends and colleagues – If you know someone who would benefit from what we're building here, send them our way.

• Talk about it with others – Mention us in conversations, meetings, or wherever workforce development comes up.

• Post & share us on LinkedIn – Share an issue, a takeaway, or just let people know we exist.

• Click on the ads we feature – It helps us keep this thing running.

• Partner with us – We offer sponsorships, ads, consulting, and communication packages. Book a call with us. 

• Collaborate with us – Events, hosting, webinars—if you have an idea, let's talk.

As a team of two running this newsletter, every bit of your support is helpful and appreciated.

I'll say it again: honestly, thank you for opening each newsletter and giving us your eyeballs and time. That means everything.

Here's to 2026

From both Robert and I, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season and an energizing New Year.

We'll see you in 2026,

ECOSYSTEM

The Credential Landscape: Ecosystem Development

Behind every digital badge, wallet, or Learning and Employment Record (LER) standard lies a network of organizations doing the quiet but critical ecosystem-building work, setting frameworks, convening partners, and funding innovation.

These are not product companies or platforms. They’re the architects, coalitions, and labs creating the infrastructure that makes digital credentials actually work together.

This article is part of The Credential Landscape series, your insider’s map to the organizations shaping the future of credentialing. This issue highlights a sample of the national effort underway to build the connective tissue of a skills-based economy. It’s not a comprehensive list, but an illustrative snapshot of the leaders catalyzing, driving, and supporting the development of LERs across the United States.

Standards and infrastructure

1EdTech Consortium - The nonprofit behind the Open Badges 3.0, Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR), and CASE standards, 1EdTech, provides the technical foundations that enable credentials to move across systems with interoperability and trust.

HR Open Standards Consortium (HROpen) - HROpen develops global data standards for human resources, including the LER-RS, which makes digital credentials readable by HR systems and applicant tracking platforms, bringing verified learning into hiring workflows.

IEEE - The world’s largest technical professional organization, IEEE, is developing the 1484.2-2024 LER Ecosystem Standard to guide secure credential exchange, identity management, and trust frameworks across education and employment.

W3C - The World Wide Web Consortium’s Verifiable Credentials Data Model 2.0 defines how digital credentials are issued, exchanged, and verified globally, providing the backbone for trustworthy credential portability.

Transparency and data alignment

Credential Engine - A nonprofit powering the Credential Registry and CTDL (Credential Transparency Description Language), Credential Engine creates a common data language that makes credentials comparable, searchable, and machine-readable across systems.

Lightcast - A leading labor-market analytics firm, Lightcast, provides data on emerging skills and in-demand occupations, ensuring credentialing efforts align with real-world employer needs.

Education Design Lab - Through its design-thinking approach, “the Lab” co-creates micro-credentials and skills frameworks with employers and institutions, ensuring equitable, market-relevant recognition of learning that connects with employment.

Digital Promise - One of the earliest organizations to advance educator micro-credentials, Digital Promise continues to expand its open, equity-centered approach to recognition across the workforce.

Conveners and workforce coalitions

T3 Innovation Network - A national coalition launched by the U.S. Chamber Foundation, T3 convenes employers, technologists, and educators to enable data interoperability and build a “learning and employment record ecosystem” that serves every worker.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation -Through its Center for Education and Workforce, the Foundation champions skills-based hiring and public-private collaboration to modernize the U.S. talent system and improve alignment among education, employer demand, and workforce opportunity.

SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) - Representing more than 300,000 HR professionals, SHRM promotes employer adoption of verified digital credentials and helps translate emerging standards into practical hiring and workforce policies.

National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) - NAWB connects the country’s workforce boards to national credentialing and skills initiatives, bridging local implementation with federal workforce innovation strategies.

University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder)- CU Boulder’s Badge Summit is a national gathering for educators, technologists, and policymakers to explore open-badging and digital recognition practices—serving as an annual pulse check for the field.

Philanthropy and funding catalysts

Walmart.org - Through targeted grants and partnerships, Walmart.org funds large-scale projects that advance skills-first education, equitable career mobility, and credential interoperability.

Strada Education Foundation - Strada invests in solutions that strengthen the link between education and employment, supporting research and pilots that help learners demonstrate skills in ways employers trust.

SkillsFWD - A cross-sector grant program backed by philanthropic and industry partners, SkillsFWD funds state-level pilots to test and scale practical implementations of LER infrastructure nationwide.

The bigger picture

These organizations form the scaffolding of a national movement toward interoperable Learning and Employment Records. They are defining standards, building trust frameworks, and aligning employers, educators, and policymakers around a shared vision for skills transparency.

But no single institution can, or should, go it alone.

The purpose of LERs is to create a shared ecosystem that benefits all participants: learners, institutions, and employers. When these systems connect, they form an economy greater than the sum of its parts—one that is more resilient, fair, and ready for the future of work.

INSIGHT REPORTS

What’s actually happening on the ground?

SkillsFWD just released a new quarterly update as the grant period nears its close. It offers a quick, practical snapshot of what grantees are running into as they work to embed LERs—especially the real-world challenges of employer adoption.

What’s inside:

• Early signs of sustainable LER models taking root

• Examples of how grantees overcame challenges throughout their projects 

• Perspective on how to use “skills-intelligence” to drive employer adoption

If you’ve been following the SkillsFWD journey or are deep in your own LER implementation, this is a quick read that might help you calibrate your next moves.

👉 Download the Q3 brief.

BY THE NUMBERS

Nearly 3 in 10 workers are financially strained

💡 29% of employees say they’re “just getting by” or “finding it difficult to get by,” underscoring the gap between having a job and having a quality one.

 _{Source: 2025 American Job Quality Report, JFF.}

KNOWLEDGE

What to read, watch, and listen

📚 Read: Making Sense of Skills-Based Microcredentials: Takeaways from an IEEE Webinar
A double-whammy resource: Noah Giesel distills the key takeaways from an IEEE webinar and gives you the full session to watch. If you’re trying to understand how skills-based microcredentials actually work in practice, this is a smart place to start.

📺 Watch: Oh. What. Fun.
You might be wondering why a holiday movie is showing up in Skills Scoop—but stay with us. This Amazon Prime Christmas film subtly highlights the invisible labor moms and grandmas carry in families, echoing the same unseen work women do in the workplace. A seasonal reminder to question who gets credit—and who makes the magic happen.

🎧 Listen: Why Everyone’s Talking About Microcredentials and Should You Get One?
On Adulting with Joyce Pring, the Filipino-based host breaks down microcredentials in a beginner-friendly way that feels like a big sister walking you through your options. It’s a clear, accessible take on how short-form credentials can help workers upskill and increase income.

FOR FUN’SIES

🔥 Help us with our new community: Take our survey before the new year!

💌 Have more feedback? Reply to this email and tell us. We read each one.

🗣️ Want to be featured as a contributor? We’re looking for industry experts to write editorials. 

At Skills Scoop, accuracy and integrity matter deeply to us. If you spot an error, nuance, or clarification worth surfacing, we’d love to hear from you—your input helps us keep this publication as sharp, credible, and useful as possible. You can reach our editorial team directly at [email protected].