Daniel Douglas is a Lecturer in Sociology & Director of Social Science Research at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. He is also a Senior Researcher at the Education and Employment Research Center at Rutgers University. My colleagues and I surveyed students in non-credit programs at two community colleges. A review of existing studies on non-degree credentials, including micro-credentials, found that outcomes like hiring and wages varied widely. Micro-credentials in high-demand fields like IT and construction appeared more valuable than those in office administration or education. But lacking systematic evidence, micro-credentials should be viewed at this point as a supplement to degrees, not a replacement for them.
