The Promise of Micro-credentials and Learning and Employment Record Technologies for Youth and K-12 Schools

Historical credentialing and credit documentation processes, such as transcripts and degrees, only capture skills acquired through traditional in-school experiences. This infrastructure impedes access to education and workforce opportunities for historically and systematically excluded communities by inadequately representing skills gathered through other learning pathways. Recognition technologies such as micro-credentials and learning and employment records (LERs) are seen as potential solutions to express learners' lifelong experiences and achievements and increase access to education and workforce opportunities. The successful implementation of these recognition technologies requires an understanding of the factors necessary for dismantling silos between secondary and postsecondary education. This paper examines challenges and opportunities for implementing micro-credentials and LERs to benefit K–12 learners and provides recommendations for successful implementation.