By Michelle Mott, ̽»¨Â¥ Consultant, Innovative Credentials Project Manager
The Learning and Employment Records movement just took a major leap forward.
̽»¨Â¥, in partnership with 12 national associations through the LER Accelerator, recently announced 25 trailblazing projects selected to form the inaugural LER Accelerator cohort. Over the next year, cohort participants will lead campuswide and statewide efforts to design and implement innovative LER solutions grounded in equity, interoperability, and learner empowerment.
Chosen from a highly competitive pool of applicants, the 2025 LER Accelerator cohort includes a wide array of colleges and universities—from research institutions and HBCUs to community colleges and state systems. Each project offers a unique perspective on credentialing’s evolving role, contributing to a national movement that centers learner agency and skills-based recognition.
“LERs hold the potential to reimagine how we recognize and connect learning and work—but only if they are built with learner empowerment, trust, and usability at the core,” said Mike Simmons, Associate Executive Director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at ̽»¨Â¥. “This cohort reflects the breadth and ambition of a national movement to empower every learner and worker with tools to navigate their pathways and tell their own stories.”
Building a Campus Coalition for LER Success
As a starting point, successful LER initiatives require coordination across traditional institutional silos, bringing together stakeholders who may not have previously collaborated on credentialing initiatives. Because LERs span academic records, co-curricular experiences, career readiness, and employer connections, no single office or department has all the expertise or authority needed to implement them effectively. The coalition approach transforms what could be fragmented, competing initiatives into a coordinated effort that leverages each unit's strengths while ensuring the final LER system truly serves learners navigating complex education-to-employment pathways.
essential to building a successful, scalable credentialing initiative.
LERs as Process
More than just digital credentials, LERs represent a fundamental shift in how institutions document, recognize, and communicate learning. LERs should be seen as an —embedded in institutional practices and shaped by evolving technologies, policies, and learner needs. This process-oriented mindset demands deep institutional collaboration and a commitment to learner agency that goes far beyond traditional transcript modernization.
Success in that process depends on champions across campus—leaders and innovators from multiple units working together toward a shared vision for learner mobility and data interoperability.
Principles in Action
Over the next year, the cohort will engage in structured planning, collaboration, and peer learning activities to develop LER initiatives tailored to their unique contexts. Their work will be grounded firmly in the LER Accelerator’s , which emphasize interoperability, learner agency, inclusivity, and skills-based recognition as essential to building trusted, equitable, and learner-centered records.
By aligning with these principles, the cohort will not only advance their individual institutional goals but also contribute critical insights and best practices to the national LER infrastructure. Together, they are working to reshape how higher education recognizes, documents, and communicates learning, empowering learners and supporting workforce mobility across diverse pathways and populations.
Meet the 2025 Cohort
The inaugural cohort includes:
These projects represent a rich diversity of geographic regions, learner populations, and technical readiness levels, positioning the cohort to collectively surface a broad spectrum of LER use cases and implementation models.
About the LER Accelerator
The LER Accelerator is a coalition aimed at advancing the development and adoption of LERs in postsecondary education. The Accelerator’s efforts aim to modernize how learning achievements and job skills are documented and recognized, helping to create a more transparent, efficient, and equitable system for both learners and employers. Members of the LER Accelerator coalition are working collaboratively to address barriers to LER adoption and advance successful models and examples that accelerate the creation and issuance of quality credentials in postsecondary education.
To learn more about the LER Accelerator, visit the initiative website and for the latest updates. Explore the at the Learn & Work Ecosystem Library and stay tuned for new tools, case studies, and insights.