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Industry-recognized credentials allow students to validate the knowledge and skills required for success in a specific occupation or industry. However, not all credentials are created or valued equally in the workforce; in fact, some credentials lead students to dead-end, low-wage jobs. As states, educators, students and families consider pathways to various careers, they should consider the long-term outcomes related to wages and potential for employment afforded by each available career pathway and associated credential(s). All stakeholders must play a role in improving alignment to ensure students have opportunities to be successful. State agencies, policymakers, employers, educators, credentialing entities and families can improve student career readiness by identifying, promoting and reporting valued industry-recognized credentials. Approaching this challenge in silos may result in piecemeal improvements in student outcomes. To see the greatest impact, states and stakeholders must undertake this work through strategic partnerships and collaboration. This report examines the impact of credential attainment on long-term student outcomes in Florida, Indiana and Kentucky-three states that collect rich, student-level data. Specifically, the report analyzes the credentials students earn in high school and their impact on students' high school completion, community college enrollment and completion, and wages.

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This follow-up report to 'The permanent detour: underemployment's long-term effects on the careers of college grads' [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 132.659] examines resume and job posting data in order to identify strategies to increase the likelihood of graduates finding appropriate work. The authors posit three key strategies to maximise career prospects: (1) evaluate the underemployment risk when choosing a major: when examined by major, underemployment rates vary by 50 percentage points, from 29 per cent in engineering to 80 per cent in personal and culinary services, a more than twofold difference in risk; (2) avoid underemployment by building the skills to succeed: for all college majors, the acquisition of specific workplace skills can add up to 20 per cent to a college graduate's earnings. Students in underperforming majors can significantly improve their prospects by selecting a high-demand specialization; and (3) accrue meaningful and relevant work experiences before graduation: internships and other work experience programs can provide students with an opportunity to build skills.

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