In this blog series, higher ed leaders from five states share insights from their human-centered design experience, which can drive systems change and align the fragmented learn+work ecosystem.
The Education Design Lab’s Community College Growth Engine Fellows Program (“CCGE Fellows”) brought together 13 higher education leaders from five states to explore the opportunities for transformation across state and institutional ecosystems through the Lab’s human-centered micro-pathway design process.
The states include Arkansas, Minnesota, Washington, Oklahoma, and North Carolina.
What are micro-pathways? Co-designed with learners and employers, micro-pathways are two or more stackable credentials, including durable skills micro-credentials, that are flexibly delivered to be achieved in less than a year and result in a job at or above the local median wage while putting learner-earners on the path to associate degree completion.
This insights brief will highlight the transformative power of human-centered design in bridging the gap between education and the workforce in Washington state.
About the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), led by a nine-member, governor-appointed board, advocates for, coordinates, and directs Washington’s state system of 34 public community and technical colleges.
Each year, about 290,000 students train for the workforce, prepare to transfer to a university, gain basic math and English skills, or pursue continuing education. The State Board’s vision of leading with racial equity to maximize student potential and transform lives supports colleges in fostering a culture of belonging that promotes racial, social, and economic justice for diverse communities.
In Washington, over 1.1 million adults have some college experience but no degree. To address this, the Washington Fellows explored the importance of expanding alternative on-ramps to education to re-engage these learners. They recognize that micro-pathways, combined with credit for prior learning and articulation provide a meaningful opportunity to bring learners back into the system in a way that values their experience and meets them where they are. Micro-pathways have the potential to help Washington close the remaining 8% gap in reaching the state’s goal of 70% of adults aged 25-44 attaining a credential beyond high school.
Inspired by the Lab’s human-centered design approach, the Washington Fellows worked to design a flexible and adaptable blueprint for systemwide micro-pathways. Prioritizing the needs of learners, they explored strategies for scaling micro-pathways across Washington’s community and technical colleges (CTCs). Alissa Sells, Policy Associate for Educational Resources & Innovation; Carolyn McKinnon, Policy Associate for Workforce Education; and Dr. Michael A. Brown, Director for Educational Resources & Innovation, collaborated closely to learn from the Fellows’ experience and draft a systematic plan for implementing micro-credentials and micro-pathways within their ecosystem.
INSIGHT No. 1: Design with, not for learners and employers to truly understand their needs.
Throughout the design process, the Washington Fellows prioritized engaging both learners and employers to ensure stakeholder needs guide the development of the system’s micro-pathways. By actively listening, the team gained valuable insights into the challenges learners face and the skills employers require.
Using data from a statewide Learner Experiences and Needs survey, the team developed learner personas that reflect the diverse populations served across the state. The survey revealed that learners are eager to share their stories, experiences, career goals, and hopes for the future. SBCTC will share the personas for Carlos, Jasmine, Aliyah, David, and Jesse as models to support colleges in developing learner personas tailored to their unique student populations.
The Fellows also recognize employers as key stakeholders and learned from their experience with a statewide IT employer that early engagement is essential for meaningful collaboration. This insight shaped Washington’s implementation plan, ensuring employers are involved from the start. Using the Lab’s T-Profile tool, they identified skill gaps and essential durable skills for IT careers. The employer’s enthusiasm for continued collaboration reinforced the value of strong, ongoing partnerships in the design process.
The insights gathered through the CCGE Fellows program will help shape discussions between the SBCTC and institutions statewide, providing a model for designing credentials collaboratively with learners and employers rather than for them. As SBCTC continues to engage stakeholders across the ecosystem, they will work to build a shared vision of the system’s goals and the driving purpose behind this work.
Insight No. 2: Collaboration and adaptable education solutions are essential to re-engage adult learners, address workforce needs, and build a shared vision for lasting impact.
Through the Fellows program, Alissa, Michael, and Carolyn recognized that stakeholder collaboration is essential for re-engaging learners, addressing workforce needs, and building a shared vision for lasting impact. Through this experience, they identified several actionable takeaways to strengthen collaboration and adaptable design across their system.
- Map communication flows among stakeholders. By analyzing communication both within the system and across the broader ecosystem, the team gained a clearer understanding of how to support colleges in implementing micro-pathways sustainably and at scale.
- Identify local employers committed to work-based learning. Recognizing employers who value credentials within the ecosystem helps strengthen partnerships and align educational offerings with workforce needs.
- Align to employer needs. Higher education must continuously adapt instructional offerings to meet evolving employer needs. This flexibility strengthens community relationships and accelerates workforce alignment. Sustainable systems are essential to keep micro-credentials relevant and responsive over time.
- Align with your strategic plan. Aligning micro-pathways with existing workforce initiatives and policies clarifies their role within the broader system. This alignment sustains stakeholder connections, promotes a shared vision and common language, and supports a flexible, collaborative design process.
Their key takeaways offer a roadmap for sustainable and scalable implementation across Washington State Community and Technical Colleges. These efforts not only strengthen relationships between community colleges, employers, and policymakers but also create a more responsive education system that empowers learners and drives economic mobility.
Insight No. 3: Leveraging Washington’s 13 Centers of Excellence is the key to developing flexible, scalable, and sustainable industry-driven micro-pathways across the state.
The Washington Fellows see the industry-specific Centers of Excellence (CoE) as key to aligning education with industry needs across the state. A Center of Excellence is a statewide resource housed at a community or technical college and funded by SBCTC, that links business, industry, labor, and educational systems to address workforce needs, narrow the skills gap, and support the state’s economic success by ensuring a highly skilled, work-ready graduate supply. As a result, the Centers of Excellence are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between education and the workforce by providing real-time labor market insights and industry connections.
The next step for the Washington Fellows is to strengthen collaboration with the Centers of Excellence to ensure micro-pathways are directly aligned with industry needs. By leveraging the existing CoE structure, SBCTC can enhance connections between community and technical colleges and high-demand sectors in need of skilled workers. Using the Centers of Excellence as hubs for innovation, this strategic alignment will help scale micro-pathways, making them more responsive to regional workforce demands. Through this collaboration, SBCTC is building a framework that equips learners with essential skills and clear pathways to employment.
Through this process, the Washington Fellows adapted the Lab’s Learner Engagement Framework to ensure that their blueprint for scaling micro-pathways across the state actively supports institutions in fostering growth, belonging, and agency.
Conclusion
Washington Fellows have laid a strong foundation for the development of human-centered micro-pathways that align with employer-valued skills while ensuring equity and inclusivity remain at the forefront of all decision-making. Their commitment to designing “with” learners and employers has inspired a framework across SBCTC for creating pathways that are responsive to the diverse needs of both learners and the workforce. Through active listening and the development of strong relationships with strategic partners, the Fellows have and will continue to establish a collaborative ecosystem that drives progress and innovation in Washington’s education and workforce systems.
Hear more from the Washington team during the Community College Growth Engine Fellows Learn+Share Showcase.
This insights brief has been authored by Elizabeth Ham. Elizabeth brings her experience in K-12 education, community college instruction, and design thinking to the Lab as an Education Designer working with the Community College Growth Engine.
This publication was made possible through the generous support of Walmart. The findings, conclusions, and recommendations presented in this publication are those of Education Design Lab alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Walmart.
