The disconnect between academic credentials and employer expectations has never been more apparent. University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is meeting this challenge head-on with a bold, skills-forward approach that reimagines how higher education prepares learners for the workforce.
“We believe that learning should translate into lifelong opportunity,” said M.J. Bishop, vice president for Integrative Learning Design.
UMGC’s approach begins with a simple insight: Universities and employers often speak different languages. While students may graduate with degrees, they frequently struggle to explain the real-world skills they’ve gained, skills that employers are actively seeking. This misalignment can leave graduates underprepared for job interviews and employers uncertain about candidates’ readiness.
UMGC is building a common language that translates academic learning into employer-recognized skills.
“By creating a shared language of skills, we are helping learners open doors, advance their careers, and thrive in a workforce that demands adaptability and real-world readiness,” said Bishop.
With this approach, students gain skills through real-world simulations, micro-internships and by planting workplace learning into academic programs. UMGC offers digital credentials and a Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR) that make skills visible and verifiable.
UMGC’s approach also recognizes that employers are now key customers of higher education. With over 150 partnerships with companies and organizations and a student population in which 80 percent of the learners are already employed, UMGC is uniquely positioned to respond to workforce demands.
“We want to bring the right learning experiences, with the right skills, to the right learners at the right time and to provide the very best support to help those learners succeed,” said Chris Motz, chief partnership officer at t è. “The work we are doing to build this capability is key to us becoming the best-in-class provider of workforce skills and certifications.”
UMGC’s initiative prioritizes a skills-first strategy and the development of a modularized curriculum ecosystem. This approach turns learners into better job candidates. It also helps employers to clearly understand the value of educational experiences.
At the heart of this transformation is a curriculum that integrates industry-relevant competencies into every stage of the learning journey. UMGC is aligning course outcomes with specific knowledge, skills, abilities and dispositions (KSADs), ensuring that what students learn matches directly with what employers need.
“Our skills-forward approach is about more than adding competencies to courses. It’s about making sure every learner can see, understand and articulate the value of their education in ways that matter to employers,” said Bishop.
Employers are increasingly prioritizing skills-based hiring, valuing competencies over traditional degrees. In response, UMGC is expanding its offerings to include short-form, non-credit programs that provide quick, affordable upskilling and reskilling opportunities.
This modular approach allows learners to stack credentials over time, creating flexible pathways from short-form learning to full degree programs. It also enables UMGC to remain agile, allowing it to quickly adapt to emerging industry needs in areas like artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, project management and leadership.
A standout example of this strategy is UMGC’s Credit for Military Rank (CFMR) initiative, which awards academic credit for leadership and management skills acquired through military service. Since its launch in 2024, more than 12,000 students have benefited, saving over $15 million in tuition and accelerating their educational journeys.
“We need to empower our military-affiliated learners with recognition of their leadership, management and organizational skills and communicate to them that those skills, gained through military experience, have value toward educational outcomes and a degree,” said Keith Hauk, UMGC vice president for Stateside Military Operations. “Based on what we’ve learned through CFMR implementation, this transformational approach changes the military-affiliated student’s pathway to a degree and supports UMGC’s vision to be the most transfer credit-friendly institution in the nation.”
UMGC is also leveraging technology to support this transformation. Through a partnership with D2L, the university is building a next-generation learning architecture that supports skill modules and enhances the student experience. This includes tools that help students track their progress, speak in an understandable way about their skills and connect their learning to their career goals.
Ultimately, UMGC’s skills-forward strategy is designed to enable learners to succeed over time in a dynamic workforce. By aligning education with employer needs, UMGC aims to improve students’ employment opportunities while redefining the role of higher education in the 21st century.