Meeting the Moment for Black Workers through Non-Degree Credentials  

Over the past four years, substantial public and private investments have been made in emerging industries such as clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and semiconductor production. The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 authorized an increase in overall funding for NSF—$81 billion over Fiscal Years 2023–2027—to help the United States innovate in science and engineering. Companies also announced over $166 billion in semiconductor and electronics manufacturing. These place-based industrial policy strategies are designed to stimulate economic growth in underdeveloped regions, which can create opportunities for marginalized communities.  

A significant part of that strategy is developing a skilled workforce responsive to industry and employer needs. For example, Columbus State Community College (CSCC) is partnering with local workforce boards and the Ohio Association of Community Colleges to train workers to fill 2,000 non-degree jobs at Intel’s under-construction $20 billion facility in Central Ohio.  Unfortunately, Black workers have historically been locked out of these job opportunities and pushed into low-wage, low-skilled jobs with little room for career advancement. These new investments provide an opportunity to activate a more inclusive workforce system, and non-degree credentials offer an on-ramp to these jobs. 

Non-degree credentials are any postsecondary credential beyond a high school diploma (or its equivalent) that falls outside the parameters of a degree program. In the U.S., there are over one million credentials and nearly 60 thousand credential providers. Typically, these credentials offer targeted skills training and certification, which can directly align with the workforce needs of a local economy. Although the definition may vary, certificates, industry certifications, licenses, and badges are widely accepted as the primary credential categories. Non-degree credentials are designed to be shorter and quicker for workers to enter the workforce — and for employers to meet their needs quickly.  

Despite their promise, non-degree credential pathways and outcome data are notoriously hard to track. Higher education institutions and training providers generally offer non-degree credentials for programs that are ineligible for federal student aid. Therefore, state data on program offerings, completion, student participation, and outcomes are sparse. The gaps in non-degree data collection and data infrastructure make it difficult to know what happens to Black learners after exiting these training programs.    

To better understand the landscape of non-degree credentials, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies has launched a Non-Degree Credentials Advisory Board to identify whether non-degree credentials can be effective pathways for Black workers within these policies and determine the key factors that would ensure their success. The Workforce Policy team is collaborating with the advisory board to determine characteristics of high-quality non-degree credentials by exploring quality, transparency, and stackability measures. The advisory board provides strategic advice and guidance on non-degree credentials as pathways to good jobs for Black workers. The 13-member board includes two current students and other experts from state and county workforce development agencies, research organizations, intermediaries, and practitioners.  

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Non-Degree Credentials Advisory Board Members are: 

• Andrew Crowe, Founder, New American Manufacturing Renaissance, The Manufacturing Institute. 

• Cory Biggs, Director of Policy and Advocacy, myFutureNC, Inc.  

• Brittany Brady, Chief Executive Officer, National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity  

• Michelle Burris, Fellow, The Century Foundation  

• Lisa Cockerham, Senior Program Manager, Cook County Bureau of Economic Development  

• Daniel Edmin, Community College of Philadelphia Student 

• Ahjhir Jones, Eastern Atlantic Carpentry Training Student 

• Dr. Crystal Jones, Senior Director of Workforce Partnerships/Director of the Ohio Semiconductor Collaboration Network, Ohio Association of Community Colleges  

• Brent Orrell, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute (AEI)  

• Michelle Rafferty, Chief Program Officer, National Fund for Workforce Solutions 

• Nakiesha Ricks-Pettyjohn, Senior Fellow, Workforce Development, National Skills Coalition  

• Dr. Mashonda Smith, Senior Administrator, Workforce Development 

• Cortnie Squirewell, Senior Program Manager, Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins 

Throughout 2025, the Joint Center and the Advisory Board will center Black workers in systems-level change related to non-degree credentials, investigate the role of non-degree credentials in place-based industrial policies, and identify and develop new opportunities for outreach and research on the intersection between non-degree credentials, place-based industrial policy, and high-quality jobs. The Board will conclude with a public convening to present research findings and celebrate the Board’s dedication to the project.