Strengthening Education and Workforce Training: Workcred and the National Accreditation Commission Are Teaming Up

Workcred and the National Accreditation Commission (NAC) are partnering to strengthen standards and review processes for short-term education and workforce training programs. Together, they are developing criteria and templates to support rigorous, scalable evaluation of non-degree workforce programs.

The collaboration brings together Workcred’s network of industry, academic, and policy stakeholders to support the evaluation of credential quality with NAC’s programmatic accreditation review processes managed by its Accreditation Information Hub (AIHub). The AIHub will support this work by organizing program evidence, workforce data, and evaluation criteria into a structured evidence review process that helps evaluators verify program claims, identify inconsistencies, and document the reasoning behind compliance determinations.

The organizations will develop field-specific criteria and program review templates, support subject-matter evaluators, and create training resources for both program providers and reviewers. Field-specific criteria are particularly important for workforce education, where program quality must be evaluated not only on traditional academic inputs but also on factors such as alignment with industry expectations, preparation for licensure or industry-developed credentials, and measurable learner and employment outcomes within a field of practice. When review criteria reflect the realities of the industries these programs serve, workforce programs can be evaluated against expectations that keep pace with employer demand and evolving workforce needs.

The partnership comes at a time when policymakers, accreditors, and workforce leaders are working to ensure that short-term training programs meet clear expectations for quality, compliance, and workforce outcomes, particularly as new federal initiatives expand support for high-quality workforce education.

“Workcred brings deep expertise in credentialing frameworks and quality standards for non-degree programs, and that is exactly the kind of rigor our accreditation work demands,” said Rebecca Busacca, president and founder of NAC. “With Workforce Pell implementation approaching and a growing national need for trusted short-term credentials, this partnership strengthens the foundation that every program quality determination is built on. Together, we are building the quality assurance infrastructure that learners, employers, and policymakers can rely on.”

“We’re excited to partner with NAC in this way to strengthen quality assurance across workforce education and training programs,” said Terry Vaughan III, Ph.D., associate executive director of research at Workcred. “As these programs play a growing role in workforce development, it is critical that learners and employers can trust the quality and outcomes they deliver.”