Factors That Affect Completion of Employer-Driven Competency-Based Education and Skills-Based Learning Programs

Abstract

In manufacturing, industry leaders increasingly value skills over traditional educational degree programs. Employers are more interested in what a candidate can do rather than what they know, which aligns with the foundation of competency-based education (Perea, 2020). The shift toward automation in the workplace requires workers to acquire advanced technology skills. Abelianski et al. (2020) projected that 37.9 million jobs will be replaced worldwide by 2030. Approximately 305 million jobs will need to be created from 2020-2030. Due to automation and robots replacing low skilled jobs, workers will need advanced technological skills. Additionally, industry technicians are now performing tasks once reserved for engineers. As technological advancements continue, technician roles are expected to require complex skills traditionally associated with college graduates (Cormier et al., 2022). The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of an industry-led, competency-based manufacturing curriculum in the Manufacturing Mobilizing Alabama Pathways (MAPs) program (Alabama Community College System, 2023). This study analyzed variables such as age, gender, ethnicity, education level, and employment status in relation to whether participants earned a Manufacturing MAPs credential. Understanding these associations may provide insight into innovative strategies for designing noncredit skills training programs that could close or significantly reduce Alabama’s skills gap through competency-based education (Beverley et al., 2024).