UTSA will be implementing new workforce credentials that students can earn to acquire certain career-ready skills during their educational career. These credentials — including badges, licenses, certificates, certifications and even some degrees — will allow students to showcase the marketable skills they master.
“In conjunction with traditional undergraduate and graduate degree programs, credentials will play an increasingly pivotal role in preparing the future workforce,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Heather Shipley. “UTSA aspires to lead the way in providing students with opportunities to attain credentials.”
UTSA Graduate School offers 106 competency-based professional development badges, including topics like copyright and fair use, writing an elevator pitch, coding with languages like Python and more. Required tasks include attending events, completing assignments and giving presentations. These badges can be added to LinkedIn profiles, portfolios and social media and are transferable across careers.
Students can also earn the Grow with Google project management certificate through a partnership between the UT System and Strada Education Foundation. The Grow with Google certificate will help students prepare for the workforce by covering project initiation, planning, execution and application.
Senior Vice President for Student Success Tammy Wyatt was recently appointed as a provost fellow for Student Affairs to supervise an initiative to “align all of the university’s offerings related to workforce credentials.”
“Workforce credentials enhance our students’ competitiveness in the job market compared to peers holding similar degrees or levels of experience. It is critical that we align our efforts around these efforts,” Wyatt said.
To learn more about the workforce credentials being implemented at UTSA, visit utsa.edu/today/2023/09/story/tammy-wyatt-new-provost-fellow.html.
