Maine, Kansas Colleges Credit Soft Skills
The University of Maine system and two Kansas community colleges will award college credits to incoming students for soft skills credentials earned in high school.
Starting this fall, students can earn college credits for soft skills learned in high school. All seven University of Maine system schools and two Kansas community colleges will grant credits for credentials from the nonprofit Jobs for Maine Graduates and its national spinoff, GenUS.
According to a report from The 74, this is believed to be the first time colleges have awarded credit for durable skills developed outside their own coursework. Kimberley Acker Lipp, CEO of Jobs for Maine Graduates, said proving the rigor of these skills was essential.
Credit Pathways and Programs
The Jobs for Maine Graduates and GenUS program offers 30 micro-credentials for skills like work ethic and persistence. These can be bundled into eight broader credentials. The University of Maine system will grant up to eight credits toward a bachelor's degree for these bundles.
University of Maine Chancellor Dannel Malloy stated the credentials prove college-level learning and skill development in critical areas. He emphasized that awarding credit, particularly to first-generation and low-income students, can reduce intimidation and increase college attendance.
Student and State Implementation
Olivia Sirois, a recent graduate from Fort Kent, Maine, was surprised to learn her credentials would translate to college credit. She will receive one credit each for three credentials toward her occupational therapy program.
In Kansas, Cloud County Community College and Pratt Community College will grant credits for specific GenUS credentials. They will accept the Job and Career Ready and Financial Literacy credentials as replacements for their personal finance and interpersonal communication courses.
Heather Morgan of the Kansas Community College Association supports the move. A third GenUS credential offered in Kansas does not align with any community college course and will not receive credit.
Broader Context and Expansion
Colleges awarding credit for soft skills is part of a wider effort to define, teach, and measure these abilities. The XQ Institute recently listed developing measurements for such skills as a key to modernizing high school education. GenUS is pitching the program to other states and will host representatives from about a dozen states in September.
Other organizations are also active in this space. America Succeeds has broken down 10 skills into subskills valued by businesses. A partnership between the Educational Testing Service and the Carnegie Foundation is trying to create standardized tests for soft skills. An AI technology company that took over the Mastery Transcript Consortium this year is developing ways to rate both academic and soft skills demonstrated in student work.
