Career development by design, not default: Creating a more efficient and data-driven process by connecting aptitude-based learner guidance to post-secondary pathways, competency-based credentials, and high-demand jobs

This paper details a systematic process that links industry and competency-based institutions' ability to create a more diverse talent pipeline while connecting learners to high-demand jobs. To remain competitive, competency-based institutions must closely align with industry and the government to keep their content up to date and relevant to today's job market. Paramount to this approach will be institutions' ability to assess incoming students' aptitudes before choosing educational pathways for which they may have natural skills but may be unaware of those career options. Case study data from a national leader in aptitude-based learner guidance will show that when institutions apply a data-driven approach to developing the workforce, women and ethnic minorities choose paths that match their strengths while socializing them into more non-traditional roles. A value chain is proposed that aligns industry-recognized credentials with competency-based criteria while implementing flexible assessment libraries to validate those skills. With the immense human capital challenge facing our economic recovery, applying a clear and aligned process of recruiting a broad diversity of students is critical for success. The result is a structure of actionable data that learners can use to explore career options and review personalized matches while providing competency-based institutions actionable data to recruit, advise, and plan for secondary pathways, college programs, internships, and careers.