Study shows no state has credentials “highly aligned” with real-world demand; more than 20 states don’t collect data
Not a single state has its career education credentials “highly aligned” with the job market, while more than 20 of the states don’t collect the data needed to tell whether they are aligned with what employers want, according to new research by ExcelinEd and Burning Glass Technologies.
Today ExcelinEd released Credentials Matter, an ongoing research partnership with Burning Glass Technologies designed to shed light on the landscape of industry credential data collection and alignment across the country. The project illustrates the credentials available in high school and highlights the outcomes of credential attainment to inform key policy decisions about which career pathways and associated credentials lead to middle and high wage employment opportunities and continued advancement for students.
Credentials Matter combines ExcelinEd’s policy expertise in college and career pathways with Burning Glass’ cutting-edge labor market analytics to provide new insights into the alignment between the credentials student earn and the demand for those credentials in the workforce.
Key findings include:
“States are on the right path toward preparing each and every high school student for success after graduation, but Credentials Matter shows there’s work to be done to ensure that the credentials students earn are aligned with today’s labor market. This report provides clarity for policymakers, the business community and families on the steps that must be taken to keep our states and country competitive in the 21st century.”
Governor Jeb Bush, Founder and Chairman, ExcelinEd
“Every career education course and credential offered in our state systems should be high quality and prepare young people for success in college or a mid-skill/mid-wage or higher job. Credentials Matter can inform and inspire efforts to build the kind of career education system that our students deserve.”
Patricia Levesque, CEO, ExcelinEd
“The ultimate goal of any career credential, whether a certification, certificate, or license, is to give students an edge in the job market by demonstrating the skills they’ve acquired. Every day employers signal what they’re looking for in their job postings. Ensuring that the supply of credentials is aligned with the demand by employers is fundamental to giving graduates a real chance in their careers.”
Matthew Sigelman, CEO, Burning Glass Technologies
“High school graduation rates have been rising steadily, but college and career readiness has not kept pace. Better alignment between students’ high school experiences and labor market demands could bridge that gap, which is why we supported ExcelinEd to develop Credentials Matter. We’re delighted to see that investment come to fruition with new tools and resources will help educators, employers, and policymakers understand workforce expectations and design programs to ensure that students graduate prepared to meet them.”
Ambika Kapur, Education Program Officer, Carnegie Corporation of New York
Credentials Matter is the most comprehensive examination of industry credential attainment in high school CTE programs. The findings and recommendations represent a critical first step to helping a range of stakeholders understand the current landscape of credentials earned and evaluate whether those credentials have currency in the job market. At the high school level, credentials can include assessments, certifications and government-issued licenses.
For more information on this research and to view interactive maps and data tables, visit CredentialsMatter.org. The maps and charts are also available to download in the media kit.
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Dear Friends,
How do your favorite authors inspire you? Writer-activists Zak Podmore and Ayja Bounous draw deep inspiration from a rich legacy of environmental writers; they count Terry Tempest Williams, Ellen Meloy, Craig Childs, and Amy Irvine among their greatest influences. Torrey House Press is fortunate to include these same authors in our catalog, and we're thrilled to see their work honored and expanded upon in Zak's book Confluence and Ayja's Shaped by Snow. As a nonprofit press, it's our mission to provide a platform for new authors to voice their stories, sharing unique perspectives and intimate knowledge of place with readers like you.
We can't do this work without you; we're grateful for the 111 backers who have brought Torrey House to 75% of our all-or-nothing Kickstarter goal. We have only 48 hours left to close the gap, and every pledge makes a difference. Will you make your pledge today?
Your donation is tax-deductible and directly supports the publication of two talented up-and-coming writers and independent, cause-driven Torrey House Press. Let's continue—and invigorate, celebrate, and expand—the literary tradition of telling stories on behalf of the landscapes we love.
With gratitude,
Anne Terashima
Associate Editor
Director of Marketing, Publicity & Development
Torrey House Press
Early Praise for Confluence by Zak Podmore
"Zak Podmore has unleashed the kind of storytelling that will inspire the next great wave of ecological activism—and not a moment too soon."
—AMY IRVINE, author of Desert Cabal
“The publication of Confluence marks the arrival of an important new voice in the West."
—DAVID GESSNER, author of All the Wild that Remains
“Finally! Finally a young writer who deeply feels and understands the power of water, the power of emotion, the power of words. Confluence is a profoundly personal and philosophical look at Western rivers and their value to all souls."
—ANDY NETTELL, Back of Beyond Books
"These essays combine an adventurer’s soul with a philosopher’s head. Kudos to Zak Podmore, a fresh new voice from the West."
—PHILIP CONNORS, author of A Song for the River
Early Praise for Shaped by Snow by Ayja Bounous
"A love letter and an elegy to a time when innocence could exist before the era of climate change...written with a muscularity of experience by a woman whose character was formed on the ski slopes in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah."
—TERRY TEMPEST WILLIAMS, author of The Hour of Land
"Those who love winter will love this book. But as we steadily erase the season that sets us free from friction, Shaped by Snow will appeal to anyone who has ever looked up and thrilled at the first flakes fat in the autumn sky."
—BILL MCKIBBEN, author of The End of Nature
"The best people grow in open air, Walt Whitman told us, eat and sleep with the earth. Ayja Bounous is that person: raised on snow, seasoned on rivers, bound by conscience, called to action. This Utah oracle reminds us what’s at stake, what we are fighting for."
—MARK SUNDEEN, author of The Unsettlers
Governor’s Office of Economic Development to Open Business Expansion and Retention Application Process
SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development is now accepting applications for the Business Expansion and Retention (BEAR) Economic Development Projects Grant. The post-performance grant funding will aid communities with funding for special economic development projects.
“The BEAR grant program is designed to grow rural businesses, influence rural job creation and increase economic diversity in rural regions,” said Val Hale, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. “The new streamlined approach to the grant process will leverage existing community funds to have a greater impact on local economies statewide.”
Administered through the Governor’s Office of Rural Development, BEAR grants will be awarded on the quality of the project, project readiness, purpose, goals, measurable outcomes related to business expansion and retention and contribution to the overall economy. A selection committee will review each application and a blended score will be used to generate the final score leading to grant allocation.
The deadline for applications is June 14, 2019, at 5 p.m.
The following entities are eligible to apply for the Business Expansion and Retention (BEAR) — Economic Development Projects Grant administered by GOED:
For a full application, information and instructions of the application visit .https://business.utah.gov/rural/. A free webinar with additional details is posted on the GOED website at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEzbFJw-hTQ&feature=youtu.be.
Funding for the BEAR — Economic Development Projects Grant is designated through the Industrial Assistance Fund (IAF) of the State of Utah as per state statute. An eligible entity may apply but grants will be awarded to no more than two applications per qualifying county area. Only one application per entity will be considered.
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About the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED)
business.utah.gov
Under the direction of Gov. Gary R. Herbert, the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) provides resources and support for business creation, growth and recruitment, and drives increased tourism and film production in Utah. Utilizing state resources and private sector contracts, GOED administers programs in economic areas that demonstrate the highest potential for development. Learn more at business.utah.gov or by calling (801) 538-8680.
CONCENSUM ANNOUNCES FIRST WORLDWIDE REGISTRY
FOR PHOTOGRAPHY & IMAGE COPYRIGHT PROTECTION
USING BLOCKCHAIN
CONCENSUM Offers Worldwide Image Registration for Free –
Open for Other Applications, Including Video, Music, & Other Digital Media
Release at: http://www.thomas-pr.com/copytrack/copytrackconcensumrelease.html
May 8, 2019 -- CONCENSUM https://concensum.org announced today THE CONCENSUM GLOBAL COPYRIGHT REGISTER, the first worldwide registry based on blockchain technology that connects photography and image copyrights with their respective authors to protect their assets worldwide. THE CONCENSUM REGISTER is live now and available for free to all copyright owners to protect photos and other images from theft at https://concensum.org.
CONCENSUM is the first registry available worldwide for digital assets. It solves the issue of a non-existent globally accepted copyright registry for images. Before CONCENSUM, proving ownership of digital images was extremely difficult, since metadata is routinely stripped by websites, search engines, and social media platforms. With CONCENSUM, photographers and graphic designers now have an easy way to register their images online. This puts an end to one of the defenses employed by people who use images online without paying -- that they don’t know who owns the photos. By using CONCENSUM’s worldwide registry, photographers and other content providers now have an easy way to register and track their digital content online and get the compensation they deserve.
CONCENSUM’s blockchain is public and can potentially also be used by third parties to create registers for digital music, videos, and more. It has already received worldwide recognition, including the attention of the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin, where CONCENSUM participated in the university’s “Blockchain Summit” and collaborated on case studies.
Blockchain is Safe to Use with User Authentication and Validation Services
A major benefit of the CONCENSUM GLOBAL COPYRIGHT REGISTER is that it is safe and easy to use. Before registering the first image, each user will go through an authentication procedure via video identification. After images are registered, CONCENSUM provides the user with a certificate for each registered image. Certificate validity can be confirmed online and every single piece of information in the certificate can be referenced, checked, and validated with CONCENSUM’s three levels of validation. More information about CONCENSUM validation is available at: https://concensum.org/en/validation/detailed-validation.
Verification Levels:
CONCENSUM Key Features:
Professor Dr. Ing. Katarina Adam, University of Applied Sciences, Berlin, said, “CONCENSUM is another classic application for a blockchain solution. By means of the inherent characteristics of blockchain technology, it is possible to uniquely assign the authorship of a digital work and every attempt to manipulate must fail, since the hash value changes due to the manipulation. I will therefore be happy to follow the activities of CONCENSUM’s Global Copyright Register.”
“We are proud and excited that after many months of hard work, CONCENSUM is now online. This is a big step towards becoming the first globally recognized register authority for images,” said Marcus Schmitt, Director of CONCENSUM. “In the next few months, we will onboard a large community of photographers, as well as various business partners that can’t wait to use our top-notch blockchain for the registration of their digital images. In the long term, we aim to support worry-free online use of digital images by providing secure licensing, licensing history, and seamless monetization.”
CONCENSUM evolved from an ICO (Initial Coin Offering) in cooperation with COPYTRACK, a leading international image copyright enforcer, and is the first worldwide available registry for photos and images open for digital assets, including tracking. For more information about CONCENSUM, please visit https://concensum.org/ or https://concensum.org/en/faq/. More information about COPYTRACK, see: https://www.copytrack.com.
About CONCENSUM
CONCENSUM is the first worldwide registry based on blockchain technology that connects photography and image copyrights with their respective authors to protect their assets worldwide. Digital content faces two types of challenges – those faced by users and those faced by rights holders. Users often misunderstand the usage of digital images online and the corresponding licensing options. Previously, rights holders had little or no methods to prove ownership of original content and derivative work.
CONCENSUM resolves these issues with the core values of transparency, independence, innovation, and trustworthiness. CONCENSUM is driven to serve the creative industry as the global copyright register for digital content. Based in Singapore and managed by an international board of directors, the team behind CONCENSUM is a truly international group of experts in the fields of copyright, blockchain technology, app development, and business. For more information about CONCENSUM, please visit https://concensum.org.
