Build the workforce you need more quickly
West Virginia’s Credential WV initiative connects education and industry so employers can help shape — and eventually hire from — the state’s emerging skills pipeline. Microcredentials provide a clear way to signal job-ready talent and align education with real workforce needs.
What’s a microcredential?
A microcredential is a high-quality, targeted recognition of learning—evidence that an individual has mastered a specific, workforce-relevant skill or competency.
- Focused: Each microcredential zeroes in on a clearly defined skill—from communication and teamwork to industry-specific technical abilities.
- High-quality: Standards and assessments are developed and validated by faculty and subject-matter experts, ensuring college-level learning and real-world application.
- Recognized: Each credential is issued and verified by a West Virginia college or university, giving you confidence in its credibility.
- Portable: A microcredential may include a digital badge that candidates can share on résumés, LinkedIn profiles, or a Learning & Employment Record (LER), making verified skills easy to confirm.
Why it matters to employers
- Hire with confidence: Identify candidates who have proven the skills you need—without guessing from a résumé.
- Upskill your team: Partner with colleges to create microcredentials that target emerging industry needs and help current employees advance.
- Strengthen the talent pipeline: Work with education providers to shape programs that match your future workforce demands.
How it works in West Virginia
- Collaborate – Share the critical skills your industry needs today and in the future.
- Co-Design – Work with college faculty and workforce experts to shape microcredentials that meet those needs.
- Connect – Engage early with West Virginia colleges and Credential WV partners to help build the network of learners and credentials that will become tomorrow’s talent pipeline.
Get involved
Ready to help grow West Virginia’s skilled workforce? Contact your regional West Virginia community and technical college or 4-year institution to discuss how microcredential partnerships can meet your workforce goals and strengthen your talent pipeline.