Expanding Institutional Capacity for Employer Engagement in Credential Innovation
Expanding Institutional Capacity for Employer Engagement in Credential Innovation Originally published by UPCEA on October 6, 2025 Employer engagement is often treated as an external-relations activity: an advisory-board meeting, a conversation about hiring needs, or a request to review an existing program. But sustainable university-to-business partnerships require something deeper—an institutional capacity to listen, collaborate, and design with employers over time. This recap captures UPCEA’s first Virtual Forum on Employer Engagement and Credential Innovation, which I curated in September 2025. The gathering brought together institutional leaders and ecosystem partners to explore how colleges and universities can strengthen employer relationships and build credentials that communicate meaningful value in the talent marketplace. A central focus was UPCEA’s emerging University-to-Business Engagement Framework, co-created by Peer Learning Leaders through a Walmart-supported init...