Credit for prior learning is all about benefiting from workplace and other experiences that have occurred before students enter the classroom. But the benefits don’t stop there. CPL returns the favor to the workplace, not only by expediting work-relevant credential completion but also by strengthening the alignment between academic curricula and workforce needs.
Misalignment between college curricula and the latest workforce needs is a frequently bemoaned challenge underscoring the need for strategic coordination among workforce developers, private industry, and postsecondary education. Such dissonance sows doubt among students about education’s return on investment. It also forces employers to choose among college credentials, competency-based assessments, industry training, and other alternatives.
Meanwhile, surveys and other research continue to indicate that, over time, college degrees pay off. A Lumina Foundation-Gallup survey showed that most adults who haven’t completed a degree find them “extremely” or “very” valuable (55% for associate degrees, 70% for bachelor’s degrees). According to the U.S. Department of Labor, workers 25 and older who have a bachelor’s degree earn 66% more (18% for associate degree holders) than workers who didn’t attend college.
CPL can harmonize the needlessly competing choice between short-term and traditional credentials. The process of evaluating “real world” learning builds much-needed bridges between theory and practice. The benefits travel both ways. CPL is a fertile source of direct, empirical data on the competencies most valued in the workforce. Connecting learning outcomes from work-based learning and academic curricula keeps administrators plugged into the latest industry needs and workforce trends. CPL can reframe the “academic vs. vocational” paradigm, replacing zero-sum silos with parallel pathways. After all, if students benefit when education satisfies workforce needs, why shouldn’t workers benefit when employment supports education needs?
For example, CAEL led a partnership with the Machinists Institute and Renton Technical College (RTC) in Washington to create a groundbreaking registered apprenticeship pathway. The pathway integrates trade-specific training with general education curricula, allowing apprentices to concurrently complete their machinist apprenticeship and an associate of applied science in multi-occupational trades. All students who complete a registered machinist apprenticeship through the program also attain a degree, with no need to complete additional “seat time” in college. The program also provides apprentices access to wraparound services available at RTC, such as food pantries, libraries, and computer labs. The model CAEL developed with RTC and the Machinists Institute is scalable and adaptable to other colleges or state systems.
Granted, not every apprentice may want, or need, a college degree upon completion. But why not give them the choice, especially when the option comes at no additional cost? The degree could turn into a head start if they pursue a promotion or a career change in the future. On that note, there are signs that employers’ resolve to embrace a competency-based approach to hiring may be more aspirational than actual. College degrees remain the universal if imperfect indicator of work-relevant competencies. That only underscores the profound importance of CPL as an engine of equitable economic mobility.
Read more: CPL crosswalks drive educational attainment by unbundling the academic journey
CPL can also boost bottom lines for employers. Collaborating to link on-the-job training and academic curricula often reveals ways to improve corporate professional development programs. Transforming on-the-job expertise into college credit can also reduce the cost of increasingly popular tuition benefit programs. These programs are proven recruiting tools and are even linked to better worker productivity. When employment becomes part of the education process itself, they become even more rewarding–and sustainable.
Within that integrated perspective, we can better appreciate CPL’s well-known higher ed benefit. CAEL research shows that CPL boosts completion rates among adult learners by 17%. Since CPL helps students avoid having to sit through classes on material they’ve already mastered, it also saves them time and money. (Nine to 14 months for students receiving 12 or more CPL credits and $1,500 to $10,200 in tuition dollars.)
Because it validates nontraditional but college-level learning experiences, CPL is an inherently inclusive practice. This quality is also reflected in our findings. The CPL completion boost is 25% for adults at community colleges, 24% for Hispanic adults, 13% for Black adults, and 19% for Pell Grant recipients, a common proxy for lower-income students.
These CPL wins come at no loss to the institutions that grant the credit. Our research also shows that because CPL students persist and graduate at greater rates, they also complete more traditional, or paid, credits. On top of that, CPL offers recruiting advantages. In another CAEL study, the vast majority (84%) of likely enrollees said that the opportunity to receive CPL would significantly influence their choice of institution.
Despite this great potential, CPL remains underutilized. Only about 10% of adult learners receive credit for their prior learning. Last year, CAEL introduced nearly 6,000 students to CPL, saving them countless hours and dollars and accelerating their paths to completion. Given CPL’s profound impact on learner and worker success, CAEL is committed to continuing to grow that number. Increasing awareness of CPL’s as a dual success factor benefitting both higher ed and workforce development will be a key part of that strategy.
