Unraveling Florida Credentials & Certificates

According to a ManpowerGroup survey, talent shortages in the U.S. have more than tripled in the last ten years, with 69% of employers struggling to fill positions, up from just 14% in 2010.  As organizations across all sectors transform, the top hardest to fill roles in the U.S. are changing fast with technology skills being now the second hardest to find. In a post-COVID economy, we can expect emphasis on healthcare, advanced manufacturing, IT, and Florida’s other “essential” sectors (Florida Chamber, 2030).

Essential technical skills can be attained in a short and efficient way by educating and training the next generation of skilled high-tech workers via industry recognized certification and stackable certificates.

Understanding Credentials

A credential is official documented credit that verifies an individual's qualification or competency in a specific skill. Credentials are earned and awarded by completing a course of study, successfully passing an assessment or meeting specified skills requirements that verify competency. The term credential includes non-degree certificates, certifications, and licenses designed around a specific occupation or discrete set of skills. See the table below for quick facts about certifications and certificates.

Characteristic	Certifications	Certificates
Awarded by	Industry or professional association, test publisher or business	Usually an educational institution, but also some professional associations
Assessment	Yes	Vary – like degrees, earned on completion of a defined curriculum
Time-limited	Usually	Never
Established skill standard	Always – the basis of the certification exam	Rarely, though expected learning outcomes may be set out

    

Certifications are awarded based on an individual demonstrating, through an examination process, that the individual has acquired the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform a specific occupation or job. DOE Industry Recognized Credentials: The Florida Career and Professional Education (CAPE) Act was created in 2007 to provide a statewide planning partnership between the business and education communities to attract, expand and retain targeted, high‐value industry and to sustain a strong, knowledge‐based economy. The CAPE funding list includes industry recognized certification attainment by secondary and postsecondary students. The table below provides types and descriptions of CAPE certifications, certificates and courses available for secondary students. Click here for Florida CAPE Industry Certification for Manufacturing.

Type of Certification/Certificate/Course	Description
CAPE Digital Tool Certificates Grades: Elementary & Middle School	Assessments of digital skills in the following areas: word processing; spreadsheets; sound, motion, and color presentations; digital arts; cybersecurity.
CAPE Industry Certifications Grades: 6-12	Industry certification that either do not articulate for college credit or do articulate for up to 14 college credits based on a statewide articulation agreement.
CAPE Acceleration Industry Certifications	Industry certification that articulates for 15 or more college credits based on a statewide articulation agreement.
CAPE Innovation Courses	Courses combine academic and career performance outcomes that will result in embedded industry certification and college credit attainment.

College Credit Certificates (CCC) Include a series of college credit courses that prepares students for entry-level employment in specific career fields or for career advancement. These certificates can be completed in six months to a 1 year because these programs focus on one discipline and lack the general education studies required by degree programs. Upon completion, students generally receive a certificate of completion or certificate of achievement, not a degree or diploma. Candidates may be able to transfer college certificate credits to degree programs at other colleges, depending on the institution and degree program. CCC must be part of an AS or AAS degree. Click here for the list of 2021-22 DOE career certificates programs under manufacturing cluster.

Career Certificates consist of a series of vocational courses that prepare students for entry level employment in specific career fields. The programs vary in length from 40 hours to more than 1,500 hours. Career Certificates are primarily offered at Florida’s technical colleges. For the FDOE full list of career certificate programs click here.