With nearly 2M credentials already in the marketplace, and more attention coming as Workforce Pell launches in July 2026, the question of quality in nondegree programs has high stakes. More and more learners, and soon taxpayers, will commit resources to these programs. How can students know whether a credential is worth their time and money?

Other stakeholders also need clarity. Employers want to understand whether a credential is a useful indicator of skill and competence for hiring and advancement. And policymakers seek to determine the return on public investment. Each group brings a different lens to what “quality” entails.

So, is quality in the eye of the beholder? To an extent, yes—which is why measuring it requires accounting for multiple stakeholder perspectives. Without holistic quality benchmarks, learners may make uninformed decisions, programs lack direction for improvement, employers struggle to find the talent they need, and public investments risk falling short.

In a new issue brief, Measuring What Matters for Non-Degree Credentials and Noncredit Programs, we tackle this challenge head-on. This brief draws from years of research on noncredit workforce programs to offer a new, multidimensional framework for understanding and measuring credential quality—and practical recommendations for communicating it clearly to all stakeholders. 

A Multidimensional Approach to Quality

Taking a holistic approach to understanding quality requires a comprehensive set of metrics—across a range of elements—to convey what makes credentials effective. The framework examines four key elements:

1) Program Design 

The way a program is designed shapes everything from course content and assessment to connections with other education pathways. Assessing quality through program design considers how students enroll, how instructors engage with students, and how students are supported through program completion.

2) Competencies 

Beyond program completion and credential attainment, how do we know students are learning the promised skills? This essential, although difficult-to-obtain, measure can help stakeholders understand how programs align with workforce needs.

3) Outcomes of Value 

Value is defined subjectively by different groups. Learners have varied motivations, from simply exploring options, to doubling down on a desired skill set, to targeting a specific job. Employers care most about whether credential holders possess needed skills, which institutions can gather through feedback channels. The broader community may focus on how programs contribute to regional economic development or social good.

4) Market Processes

Even high-quality credentials need marketplace recognition to deliver value. Market processes are the systems that make credentials visible and trusted, such as state regulations, third-party endorsements, credit transfer policies, and employer hiring practices. These processes help ensure credentials translate into opportunities for learners.

While finding relevant data can be challenging, promising approaches include gathering administrative records from institutions, surveys and interviews with learners and employers, community partner feedback, and labor market information.

Communicating Quality

Beyond measuring quality, communicating it effectively is essential. Clear communication helps guide students in selecting credentials, signals value to employers for hiring, and makes the case for public investment.

Consumer-friendly language is critical. Recent EERC research shows students often struggle to distinguish between credential types, underscoring the need for clarity.

One way to think about communicating quality is to consider nutrition labels on food containers as an analogy. As we’ve discussed in a previous blog, credential quality labels could offer a simple way to present key information under broad categories like design, learner experience, workplace outcomes, and competencies. This at-a-glance summary can help stakeholders more easily assess the quality elements of most interest to them, and can serve as a starting point for continuously improving programs.

The launch of Workforce Pell later this year provides an opportunity for states and institutions to build and refine systems that measure quality. If we do this right, learners will be able to more effectively navigate education and training options and engage meaningfully in the workforce. 

Michelle Van Noy is director of the Education and Employment Research Center at the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers University. Katherine Hughes is senior research consultant with the EERC.