Employability credentials: A key to successful youth transition to work

Conclusion Employers place considerable emphasis on credentials. The assumption that a high school diploma can be used to screen for competencies is problematic. First, it leaves much of the translation of what a high school diploma means, in terms of skills, knowledge, and attitudes, with the employer. Second, it fails to differentiate among youth because the diploma does little more than signify that high school has been completed. Finally it places young people without diplomas (dropouts) at a great disadvantage.Although a high school diploma may demonstrate a certain level of maturity, motivation, perseverance, and some specific academic skills, it does not provide an adequate picture of the employability or marketable skills, knowledge, and competencies that an individual possesses. In order for youth to make successful transitions to work they need more than their high school diplomas. They need an employability credential that identifies and documents the array of their developmental experiences and translates these into component competencies—a credential that employers will respect and youth will value. A credential that is more than a document. One that represents a process that helps youth understand themselves and their marketability and provides them with a sense of self-worth and future direction.Ivan Charner is the Director of Research and Development at the National Institute for Work and Learning, Washington, D.C.