FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
̽»¨Â¥ Contact: Mike Simmons
Associate Executive Director, Business Development & Strategic Partnerships Division
Communications@aacrao.org
Walmart supports the launch of Project Infuse, a new national initiative spearheaded by ̽»¨Â¥ focused on expanding access to secure, interoperable digital credentials for learners often left behind by today’s higher education-to-workforce systems.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Project Infuse, a groundbreaking collaborative initiative aimed at expanding equitable access to digital credentials in higher education, has officially launched with support from Walmart. Designed to support institutions and learners—especially those with limited resources—Infuse seeks to connect individuals to an inclusive, secure, and interoperable Learning and Employment Record (LER) infrastructure for millions of learners who currently lack access to today’s innovative credentialing systems.
Project Infuse will focus on learners left out of the digital credential ecosystem, including those with some college but no degree and those who graduated before digital records were widely available. The initiative aims to reduce barriers for both institutions and learners by minimizing technical lift and cost while respecting the role of vendors in the credentialing space.
Infuse is leveraging connections and collaborations with a growing network of institutional leaders, technical experts, vendors, and public interest partners. These stakeholders are working together to shape next steps, coordinate pilot efforts, and ensure that the resulting infrastructure reflects the diversity of needs and strengths across the higher education landscape.
“Our goal is to meet institutions and learners where they are—technically, financially, and structurally—and connect them to an ecosystem that adds real value without requiring a complete overhaul,” said Melanie Gottlieb, Executive Director at ̽»¨Â¥. “We’re laying the groundwork for a credentialing infrastructure built on public good principles.”
Infuse is proud to build upon the work of past and current digital credential efforts, aiming not to duplicate but to integrate and amplify what already exists. With the support of Walmart and the engagement of committed partners, we are moving forward with urgency and care to advance a future where digital credentials unlock meaningful mobility for all learners.
The initiative's approach centers on three core functions:
Ingest: Integrating with existing Student Information Systems (SIS), PDFs, and CSVs to convert academic credentials into structured, digital formats. Infuse will also employ a universal data standard translator to enable interoperability between LER systems using open standards.
Infer: Using artificial intelligence to extract and infer skill-level information from academic data, allowing learners to generate skill narratives that better align with workforce needs. The initiative plans to deploy a domain-specific AI to further enrich credentials quality and relevance over time.
- Issue: Empowering learners with access and control over their digital credentials through interoperable LER repositories and wallets. Infuse will enable low-cost, public-good wallet and repository solutions for institutions.
As a connector, integrator, and enhancer—not a replacement—of existing systems, Infuse will align with ongoing digital credential efforts to avoid duplication and maximize interoperability and value.
About Project Infuse
Project Infuse is a collaborative, public good initiative creating equitable access to digital credentials for all learners through a secure, interoperable infrastructure. By connecting existing systems and leveraging AI to enhance credential value, Infuse aims to democratize participation in the innovative credential ecosystem.
About Philanthropy at Walmart
represents the philanthropic efforts of Walmart and the Walmart Foundation. By focusing on where the business has unique strengths, Walmart.org works to tackle key social and environmental issues and collaborate with others to spark long-lasting systemic change.
̽»¨Â¥
̽»¨Â¥ is a non-profit, voluntary, professional association working to make higher education more responsive to learners. With a membership of more than 15,000 higher education professionals representing approximately 2,300 institutions in
more than 40 countries, the association provides advocacy, research, and policy-based guidance and training to higher education professionals to smooth the path for learners at every stage of their journey.