The U.S. Education Department (ED) is launching a new grant competition to develop and promote digital statewide systems — dubbed “Talent Marketplaces” — that include workers’ credentials, learning and employment records (LERs) and similar documents to better align with job opportunities.
Through the Connecting Talent to Opportunity Challenge, the department will provide up to 10 semi-finalists and finalists with technical assistance as they refine and implement their development plans. In addition, they will be eligible to receive a portion of the $15 million prize pool.
Beginning in January, state governors can work with workforce partners to build or scale Talent Marketplaces. In doing so, states will expand access to high-quality career pathways, increase labor force participation and support skills-based hiring. ED said the lesson learned will inform resources and models to grow and expand the systems.
“Talent Marketplaces give learners, earners, and employers a clearer way to validate skills, opening doors to stackable credentials and stronger recognition of prior learning and work experience,” Nick Moore, ED’s acting assistant secretary for the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education, said in a release. “As we expand these systems, we open more pathways into good jobs, support broader participation in the workforce, and help strengthen our Nation’s economy.”
The announcement last Friday came as a House panel last week examined how to expand the use of LERs to better connect workers with job opportunities.
