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Held on 23 April 2025, this webinar explored how a state government, industry, and learners are impacted by the rise of skills and ways in which Community Colleges can respond to the looming skills emergency leveraging technology.

Current worker shortage estimates put the skills gap at 1 billion globally and 75 million in the U.S. by 2030. Community Colleges are stepping up to address this skills breach and can do much to respond by leveraging new and existing technology, starting with asking: What do we want to recognize and why? How could we recognize the learning of those with some college / no degree? How do we also capture and recognise human-centred skills (soft, durable skills) valued by employers?

In this webinar, the panel addressed the challenges and opportunities currently faced by Community Colleges including impacts on rural Community Colleges, heard a state government, industry and learner perspective on the impact of skills on the education to employment journey, why industry-led curriculum development is and should be on the rise, how AI can help with the administrative burden, and how Community Colleges can leverage their existing systems (such as their LMS and SIS) to unlock skills recognition data to enable scalable solutions.

Rounding out the webinar was a showcase of some of the practical guides and technology tools (free and paid models) currently available to assist Community Colleges in achieving skills recognition success.

Panelists:

• Chris Breitmeyer – President of the Rural Community Colleges Network, whose member institutions serve the 89.3 million people who reside in rural America
• Nicole Tucker – Chief Operating Officer at Louisiana State Civil Service, who recently shifted away from requiring degrees to a skill-based hiring model
• James McKenzie – Manager at Heglar Creek Electric & Heglar Creek Plumbing, graduate of College of Southern Idaho (CSI) who also works to co-design skills based learning with his Community College partner
• Dan McFadyen – Managing Director and Margo Griffith – Principal Skills Consultant from Edalex, a skills technology company at the cutting edge of skills recognition data software

Credentials just got personal - Unleash the power of your skills data and personal credentials

Credentialate is the world’s first Credential Evidence Platform that helps discover and share evidence of workplace skills.

Find out more at: edalex.com/credentialate
Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edalex
Follow on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjTzWgfUthHonR7Z5LatKGQ

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In this interview, Dan McFadyen, Managing Director of Edalex, and Bill Hughes, President and CEO of Education Design Lab explore the Lab’s work to create a more inclusive and adaptable learning ecosystem. The Lab focuses on “New Majority Learners” (or STARs) who are underserved by traditional education pathways. Their XCredit project validates skills acquired through alternative routes, making them recognisable and transferable. The discussion also covers the complexities of standardising skill recognition and the transformative potential of educational technology. Education Design Lab envisions a future where community colleges become “talent partners” for industry, fostering lifelong skilling opportunities, and ensuring that edutech supports all learners, particularly the New Majority.

02:30 - Education Design Lab Breaking Traditional Barriers for New Majority Learner
10:13 - Recognising Skills Beyond Degrees: How XCredit Project Empowers New Majority Learners
20:42 - How Standards and Skill Validation Elevate the Learner-Earner Journey
34:11 - Funding and AI Technology – the Lab’s Transformative Forces For Shaping the Future of Education
46:15 - The Lab’s 5-Year Vision to Transform Community Colleges into Talent Partners for Industry

Credentials just got personal - Unleash the power of your skills data and personal credentials

Credentialate is the world’s first Credential Evidence Platform that helps discover and share evidence of workplace skills.

Find out more at: edalex.com/credentialate
Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edalex
Follow on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjTzWgfUthHonR7Z5LatKGQ

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In this interview, Dan McFadyen, Managing Director of Edalex, and Julian Ridden, Head of Growth for Australia at Quizizz delve into the role of AI in education. They discuss the potential benefits and risks of AI, emphasising the need for thoughtful integration in educational settings. They also highlight the importance of understanding the risks associated with AI, such as bias and data security. The conversation emphasises the need for caution in AI adoption and the importance of using AI to solve genuine problems in education. Overall, they express optimism about the future of AI, and its ability to enhance human experiences and education, while also acknowledging the need for proactive measures to adapt to technological advancements.

3:18 - Unpacking the Potential of AI in Education and Keeping Up with Rapid Advancements
11:47 - Balancing Mitigated Risk and Reward in Gen AI Integration Strategies
22:17 - Navigating Hidden Risks from Gen AI and its Adoption in Education Settings
30:53 - Harnessing the Power of AI - Overcoming Challenges and Opportunities for Educators
43:46 - How to Ride the AI Wave - Crafting EdTech Solutions That Solve Real Problems
49:28 - AI's Revolutionary Impact on Education and Society in the Future

Credentials just got personal - Unleash the power of your skills data and personal credentials

Credentialate is the world’s first Credential Evidence Platform that helps discover and share evidence of workplace skills.

Find out more at: edalex.com/credentialate
Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edalex
Follow on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjTzWgfUthHonR7Z5LatKGQ

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In this interview, Dan McFadyen, Managing Director of Edalex engages with Taylor Kendal, President of Learning Economy Foundation to explore LEF’s initiatives, including LearnCard and the LearnCloud, aiming to revolutionise education and employment record infrastructure through open-source, interoperable systems a.k.a Digital Skill Wallet. Their conversation anticipates a future where individuals have greater control over their learning and employment agenda, fostering socio-economy mobility rebalancing and lifelong learning opportunities, while the LEF’s vision extends to stewarding this infrastructure’s widespread adoption and impact over the next five years and beyond.

1:33 – Learning Economy Foundation’s Innovative Path and its LearnCard’s Impacts
7:27 – Transforming Scouts Recognition through the LearnCard’s Digital Wallet Technology
17:44 – Unlocking Education and Employment Opportunities with Digital Wallets and Strategic Partnerships
21:53 – Navigating the Applicability and Impacts of LEF’s Open Digital Wallet Tool – LearnCard
27:55 – Bridging Data Silos through Interoperability – LEF’s Vision for their LearnCloud Initiative
34:11 – LEF’s Vision in Connecting Learning to Work towards the Skills-based Economy

Credentials just got personal - Unleash the power of your skills data and personal credentials

Credentialate is the world’s first Credential Evidence Platform that helps discover and share evidence of workplace skills.

Find out more at: edalex.com/credentialate
Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edalex
Follow on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjTzWgfUthHonR7Z5LatKGQ

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In this interview, Dan McFadyen, Managing Director of Edalex and Kate Valenti, Co-Chief Executive Officer at Unicon Inc. explore the evolving education landscape as they delve into key aspects of Competency-Based Education (CBE), the integration of General Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), and the redefinition of qualifications beyond traditional degrees. The conversation is divided into 6 thought-provoking chapters, each shedding light on different aspects of their covered topics:

01:13 – Exploring the Landscape of Competency-Based Education: Insights from a Leading EdTech
11:39 – Strategies for Competency-based Education Adoption: Current Infrastructure vs Customised Solutions
15:23 – Embracing the Artificial Intelligence Wave: a Perspective on Integrating GenAI in Educational Institutions
22:21 – Skills-Focused and Beyond Degrees: Rethinking Higher Ed in the Face of Declining Enrolment
31:26 – Innovative Projects with Strategic Partners to Reshape the Future of Education in HE and K-12
35:09 – Building and Sustaining a Successful Culture for a Remote-First Workforce

Credentials just got personal - Unleash the power of your skills data and personal credentials

Credentialate is the world’s first Credential Evidence Platform that helps discover and share evidence of workplace skills.

Find out more at: edalex.com/credentialate
Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edalex
Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/edalexsolutions

Credentials just got personal - Unleash the power of your skills data and personal credentials

Credentialate is the world’s first Credential Evidence Platform that helps discover and share evidence of workplace skills.

Find out more at: edalex.com/credentialate
Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edalex
Follow on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjTzWgfUthHonR7Z5LatKGQ

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In this podcast episode, Dan McFadyen, Managing Director at Edalex speaks with Will Stubley, Co-CEO/Co-Founder of Year13, where they delve into the critical issues surrounding education and employment for your people in Australia and across the globe. The conversation is divided into 7 thought-provoking chapters, each shedding light on different aspects of the educational landscape.

0:00 - Introduction
1:05 - Year13’s Mission - Transforming School-to-Work Transition for Young Australians
5:55 - Exploring Post-School Pathways and Opportunities for Youth
8:58 - Skills and Qualifications to Work Hand-in-Hand to Address Skills Gaps
13:16 - Empowering Learners, Nurturing Skills Recognition and Educational Equity
19:18 - Research Insights - Challenges and Opportunities in Education Decision-Making
25:06 - How US and Australian Systems Can Thrive Through Collaboration and Partnership
30:24 - Year13 Roadmap - Revolutionising Post-School Transitions Through Alignment

Credentials just got personal - Unleash the power of your skills data and personal credentials

Credentialate is the world’s first Credential Evidence Platform that helps discover and share evidence of workplace skills.

Find out more at: edalex.com/credentialate
Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edalex
Follow on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjTzWgfUthHonR7Z5LatKGQ

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Dan McFadyen, Managing Director at Edalex speaks with Dr. Charla Long, President of the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) where they cover various aspects of competency-based education (CBE) and its future impact. Overall, the interview provides insights into the revolutionary nature of CBE and its potential to revolutionise learning for lifelong success.

0:00 - Introduction
5:11 - The Formation of Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN): Missions, Values, and Goals
11:53 - Redefine Learning Outcome Metrics: The Shift from Time-Based to Competency-Based Education
16:42 - A Global Shift towards Competency-Based Education: Unleashing the Potential of Skills and Competencies
25:52- Building a Common Language for Skills: Unlocking Learning Exchange and Global Collaboration
30:52 - Empowering Learners Through Personalised Learning Pathways and Asset-Based Approach to Education
38:06 - C-BEN Vision for the Future of Competency-Based Education as a Nexus of Lifelong Learning

Credentials just got personal - Unleash the power of your skills data and personal credentials

Credentialate is the world’s first Credential Evidence Platform that helps discover and share evidence of workplace skills.

Find out more at: edalex.com/credentialate
Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edalex
Follow on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjTzWgfUthHonR7Z5LatKGQ

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Dan McFadyen, Managing Director at Edalex speaks with Ryan O'Hare, CEO and Founder of Keypath Education (Australia and Asia-Pacific) where they discuss how to get ahead in Higher Education by challenging assumptions, focusing on digital strategies, embracing skills-based learning, catering to lifelong learners (the new majority) and being learner-centric.

Their topics of discussion include:

• 1:37 - Keypath Education’s journey so far and the drivers of their rapid growth - internal (e.g. market knowledge, partnerships) and external (e.g. rise of technology, COVID)
• 6:00 - What higher education is already doing well and why digital strategy, systems interoperability, integrated data and lifelong learning should be the focus in 2023
• 16:37 - Learners have already shifted from traditional qualifications to skills-based learning - and the majority are lifelong learners / earners, not young adults
• 26:21 - To remain relevant, higher education needs to challenge long-held assumptions around who learners are, cohort segments, learning preferences, and industry alignment
• 30:07 - A top-down people-centric culture - with an intentional focus on diversity, equity and inclusion - underpins Keypath Education’s success
• 36:42- Why you should stop doing pilots and start committing instead - going all in can mean the difference between success and failure
• 39:28 - Higher education changes in the foreseeable future - A learner-centric vision

Credentials just got personal - Unleash the power of your skills data and personal credentials

Credentialate is the world’s first Credential Evidence Platform that helps discover and share evidence of workplace skills.

Find out more at: edalex.com/credentialate
Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edalex
Follow on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjTzWgfUthHonR7Z5LatKGQ

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In this conversation-style interview, Dan McFadyen and Lyndon Blanchard, Chief Operating Officer of the Digital Skills Organisation (DSO), discuss the demand for digital skills supply at both national and global levels and how the DSO is working to enable digital upskilling and reskilling and create a job-ready workforce.

Note: This discussion was first published about a year ago as a way of looking back at how far we've come in this fast-moving sector.

Their topics of discussion include:

0:35 - The DSO and its Mission to Support a Successful Economy Through Digital Skills
4:24 - The Impacts of Digital Revolution and Its Significant Role in Learning, Upskilling or Reskilling
11:22 - Addressing the Digital Skills Gap With the Cremorne Project
18:21 - How Can Learners/Employees Maximise the ROI from their Education?
24:18 - Personalised Evidence and its Importance to Learner’s Employability in the Digital Era
30:30 - The DSO’s Vision of Digital Skilling in the Near Future

Credentials just got personal - Unleash the power of your skills data and personal credentials

Credentialate is the world’s first Credential Evidence Platform that helps discover and share evidence of workplace skills.

Find out more at: edalex.com/credentialate
Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edalex
Follow on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjTzWgfUthHonR7Z5LatKGQ

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In this conversation-style interview, Dan McFadyen and Nicholas Robert, Co-Founder and CEO of Learning Vault, explore how standards and interoperability are enabling credential curation, dynamic credentials and learner agency.

Their topics of discussion include:

01:00 - Learning Vault’s Journey and Mission
03:40 - The Digital Credential and Digital Badging Landscape and Drivers of Future Growth
08:17 - How Wider Awareness of Digital Credentials and Adhering to Standards is Supporting Learner Agency
12:39 - The Critical Elements of Truly Portable, Internationally Verifiable Credentials
17:13 - How Lifelong Skills Recognition and Credential Curation is Becoming the New Hiring Signal
23:58 - How Different Sectors and Organisations Credential the Soft and Domain Specific Skills Mix
28:38 - How QVault Maximised Interoperability and Enabled Dynamic Digital Credential Creation
34:04 - Upcoming Projects - Making Skills Accessible and Meaningful to Empower Learners on a Global Scale

Credentials just got personal - Unleash the power of your skills data and personal credentials

Credentialate is the world’s first Credential Evidence Platform that helps discover and share evidence of workplace skills.

Find out more at: edalex.com/credentialate
Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edalex
Follow on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjTzWgfUthHonR7Z5LatKGQ