Building a State-Endorsed Occupational Credentialing System
Policy Rationale and Goals: In 1992, the Illinois legislature passed the Occupational Skill Standards Act (Public Act 87-1210), which established the Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council (IOSSCC), a nine-member panel composed of representatives from business, industry, and labor. The lead agency designated to organize and staff the IOSSCC was the Illinois State Board of Education, with five members of the IOSSCC appointed by the Governor and four by the State Superintendent of Education.
According
to Kathy Nicholson-Tosh, Skill Standards project manager, from the beginning,
Illinois wanted the standard-setting process to be a "business and industry-led
venture." It "took time for appointments to be made and for the group to get
together to begin to build the policies and infrastructure" that
would frame the state's subsequent effort. The IOSSCC was first convened by the
Illinois State Board of Education on January 31, 1994, where much of the time
and initial meetings were spent establishing a common vision and mission for
the IOSSCC's role in workforce development:
The vision of the IOSSCC is to have a statewide system of industry-defined and recognized skill standards and credentials for all major skill occupations that provide strong employment and earnings opportunities in Illinois. To achieve this vision, IOSSCC will play a major role in establishing and marketing these systems in the private sector for use in hiring, training, and promotion. IOSSCC will establish industry subcouncils to identify skilled occupations and recognize or develop skill standards and credentialing systems based on a common set of policies and procedures. The subcouncils will be responsible for developing marketing and promotion plans and developing or identifying information to be used in career information systems. (IOSSCC, 1997, p.4)
Essentially, the IOSSCC concluded that its role will be to serve three primary purposes:
- Recognition and development of skill standards and credentialing systems
- Marketing and promotion of their use in the private sector
- Working with state councils and agencies to promote the application of standards and credentials in all approved and funded workforce development programs
Implementation Strategy: According to Nicholson-Tosh, the IOSSCC spent many months after the initial appointment of members defining an implementation strategy in keeping with the vision and mission of the IOSSCC. The IOSSCC "deliberated extensively as new territory was being covered--when the first policies were passed, everyone cheered." The IOSSCC decided that a subcouncil structure would best serve the interests of all economic sectors in the state. The state's economy was grouped into fourteen categories which basically align with categories developed by the National Skill Standards Board, though there is some variation. The categories include the following:
| 1) Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| 2) Construction |
| 3) Energy and Utilities |
| 4) Manufacturing |
| 5) Communications |
| 6) Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics |
| 7) Health and Social Services |
| 8) Educational Services |
| 9) Hospitality |
| 10) Marketing and Retail Trade |
| 11) Business and Administrative/Information Services |
| 12) Applied Science and Engineering |
| 13) Financial Services |
| 14) Legal and Protective Services |
Of the fourteen subcouncils planned by the IOSSCC, nine have been appointed. According to Nicholson-Tosh, the IOSSCC, in consultation with the Illinois Occupational Information and Coordinating Committee, "spent a good deal of time grouping industries and occupations to determine appropriate representation on the subcouncils." The IOSSCC's 1997 Progress Report states that "Each subcouncil consists of 15 to 25 employer and worker representatives who are nominated from major industry, trade, and professional associations and labor unions from all segments of the industry and regions of the state. In addition, a representative from the secondary and postsecondary workforce preparation system serves on the subcouncil." (p.6) The primary responsibilities of the subcouncils are identifying the occupations and occupational clusters that will be included in the system, marketing and promoting the state-endorsed skill standards, recommending skill standards and credentialing systems to the IOSSCC for final approval, and establishing standards development committees for an identified occupation.
Standards development committees, appointed by the subcouncils, are responsible for the actual production of the skill standards and credentialing and assessment systems. The committees include 10 to 12 employer and worker representatives who are experts in the occupation or occupational cluster. These committees also identify related academic skills and recommend endorsement of the standards and credentialing system, to the industry subcouncil.
Evolution of Strategy: According to Nicholson-Tosh, from the beginning, the IOSSCC has "been concerned that standards be specific enough for curriculum and assessment." Therefore, the IOSSCC established criteria in its review process for applications from subcouncils for skill standards and credentialing systems endorsement:
- First, occupational standards must be identified for all major skill areas of the defined occupation or occupational cluster. Related academic standards and workplace skills must also be identified, and expected levels of performance must be specified.
- Second, occupational standards must be formally validated and endorsed by a representative group of employers and workers within an industry on a statewide, regional, or national basis. Standards are to be reviewed and modified at least every five years.
- Third, assessment of skill standards must be competency-based. The approaches used must be supported and endorsed by industry, valid, reliable, and can include written and oral examinations, performance assessments, and portfolio reviews. These must be conducted in part by a third-party process led by industry-designated organizations.
- Fourth, the occupational standards, assessment, and credentialing systems must be widely accessible to the general public in Illinois.
- Finally, the occupational standards and credentialing systems must be marketed and promoted by the industry. (IOSSCC, 1997, p.8)
Outcomes/Lessons Learned: To date, the IOSSCC has endorsed 15 industry skill standards products. While the IOSSCC believes that it has "the skill standards development process down, assessment and credentialing are the current focus," according to Nicholson-Tosh. The IOSSCC has learned that it takes "time for good reform to happen. The nine members appointed to the IOSSCC are involved on a voluntary basis and are very committed to the effort. They are not a rubber stamp group." It is this kind of commitment by the IOSSCC that encourages efforts by state agencies to continue to coordinate activities. Every other month, representatives from education and workforce development agencies "all sit at the table and plan together, providing input to what the IOSSCC will work on."
Illinois is observing how industry skill standards and assessment systems are evolving in other states and is participating in the National Skill Standards Board "Building Linkages Project" in the manufacturing sector. Illinois is working closely with Indiana, the lead state in the NSSB manufacturing effort, and is considering modeling some aspects of its credentialing system after Indiana's scenario-based performance assessments.
Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council (IOSSCC). (1997). Progress report, January 1994-July 1997, Illinois skills standards. Springfield, IL: Author.
