Digital technologies are rapidly developing and transforming the way individuals work, learn, and participate in civic life. As digital innovations become more available and present opportunities to make quality learning and career opportunities more accessible across the globe, educational institutions, administrative data systems, and regulatory frameworks have struggled to adapt. Through research on the landscape of digital micro-credentials, we hope to provide insights and policy recommendations to decision-makers and stakeholders, such as education and labor policymakers, to expand access to skills and quality jobs to the most disadvantaged learners and workers across the world.

The rapid expansion of new technologies within the education sector in most countries has contributed to the proliferation of alternative models of education, learning, and skill signaling in global labor markets. From digital badges to bootcamps to learning and employment records, a wide range of public, private, and nonprofit initiatives and platforms have emerged to address the ongoing demand for education and new skills among employers and workers alike. Beyond simply moving existing courses and curricula into an online environment, the latest wave of educational innovation represents a more fundamental shift in how education and skills data are gathered, stored, taught, verified, accessed, and signaled in the lab or market. Some experts refer to this shift as “Education 3.0.”

At Brookings, we have recently embarked on a new research agenda focused on understanding where and how these digital innovations in skills and employment pathways are evolving, with a special focus on the extent to which they may expand opportunities for the most vulnerable learners and workers globally. Our goal is to make the education innovation ecosystem more accessible to nontechnical audiences, and specifically to inform decisionmakers worldwide about the promises and perils of these initiatives for expanding access to learning and employment opportunities.

Read the full article about employment opportunities through technology by Annelies Goger, Allyson Parco, and Emiliana Vegas at Brookings.