In April, Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) introduced H.R. 2262, the Flexibility for Workers Education Act. The bill aims to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to exclude from employees’ hours worked educational or skills-based training offered by employers. Under current legislation, training related to one’s job must be compensated by their employer, […]
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According to a 2025 Gen Z Career Prospects Report, which surveyed 1,000 full-time Gen Z workers across the U.S., nearly 23 percent say they regret going to college, and another 19 percent say their degree hasn’t helped them in their career. A separate article published last month affirms the trend, noting that “for a growing […]
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Congress is weighing the possibility of creating “Workforce Pell.” Those would be Pell Grants, not for college students, but for individuals who want to enroll in short-term programs aimed at credentialing them for immediate employment. The idea is attractive to those of us who believe that far too many young people are lured into college […]
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In this first episode of our new podcast, VAS News Chat, I join Teresa Manning, Policy Director at the National Association of Scholars and President of its Virginia affiliate, for a deep dive into my recent article, “America’s Obsession with Diplomas Is Killing Opportunity,” in which I argue that credentials have become an illegitimate precondition […]
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Author’s Note: This article is from my weekly “Top of Mind” email, sent to subscribers every Thursday. For more content like this and to receive the full newsletter each week, enter your name and email under “SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER, ‘TOP OF MIND,’” located on the right-hand side of the site. A Social Media […]
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Credentialing informal learning and experience is the next big push in higher education, with initiatives like Open Badges, Skills.to, Degreed, or LearningJar granting students credentials for skills and knowledge gained outside of school. Even traditional colleges are being pressured to accept credit by exam, portfolio, work experience, and other informal education, rather than reserving credit […]
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