WGU’s New Tool Helps Nearly 600K Students, Alumni Track Career Progress
Credit: Courtesy of Western Governors University- Students, alums, and employees can track verified and self-reported credentials, degrees, licenses, job experience, military training, and more in the Western Governors University Achievement Wallet.
- The tool matches users to careers based on their skills and creates paths toward their career goals.
- The tool is currently only available to WGU students, alums, and employees but will be open to prospective students in the future.
One of the country’s largest online colleges, Western Governors University (WGU), just launched a new tool that tracks students’ skills and education in one place, creates resumes and career plans, and matches users to real jobs.
The online university is enabling its nearly 600,000 students and alums and 10,000 employees to log their coursework, volunteer work, job experience, and more through the WGU Achievement Wallet. Students can then use that information to generate resumes highlighting their skills and credentials and send them off to employers.
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“Too often, talent is overlooked because opportunity is tied to pedigree rather than proven skill,” WGU President Scott Pulsipher said in a press release.
“The Achievement Wallet helps all learners verify and showcase the skills they’ve earned, whether through formal education, work, service, or life experience. It’s a step toward a more equitable and inclusive talent economy that benefits learners and employers alike.”
The Wallet also matches users to careers that match their skills and informs them on what paths they can take to reach their goals and desired skills. While the Wallet is only available to the WGU community, the university plans to share it with prospective students and its findings with other higher education institutions.
WGU Achievement Wallet users can log verified and self-reported:
- Degrees
- Certificates
- Licenses
- Job experience
- Military training
- Self-attested credentials
Want to upskill for your career? Check out these resources:
Upskilling Is Becoming More Important for Careers
More and more employers emphasize the value of skilled employees rather than degree-holders. Within cybersecurity, over 90% of employers said in a recent ISC2 survey that they would only consider prospective employees with prior information technology experience.
Students are also catching on to this change. Long gone are the days where internships were used to explore careers — now students are using them to gain experience for the fields they want to pursue.
A Strada Education Foundation survey found that almost two-thirds (65%) of students said their primary reason for doing an internship was to gain expertise in their desired field.
Institutions are also experimenting with upskilling as part of a bachelor’s education. Tennessee State University’s College of Education provides students with a degree apprenticeship, so students can graduate while earning money and lowering debt.