The term ecosystem is increasingly used in discussions about learning and work. For instance, two national initiatives—Credential As You Go and the Learn & Work Ecosystem Library—are framing their work as an effort to improve the learn-and-work ecosystem. Also, Noah Geisel at the University of Colorado Boulder recently chose a relevant theme for his university’s badging conference in summer 2024: not “it takes a village,” rather “it takes an ecosystem.” Despite the growing understanding that our systems of education and employment do indeed comprise of an ecosystem, that term is still more commonly associated with natural, biological systems than with social ones. Are they the same thing? And does the answer to that question really matter? I have come to believe that they are very similar—and yes, it does matter.
