article_snippet: Employers want the skills that higher education says it provides to students: the ability to critically think, communicate, work in a team, write effectively, and adapt.
article_snippet: Employees at a biotech company with a high-quality on-the-job training program might learn more than someone in a two-year college science program, but unless this training is attached to an accredited institution of higher learning, the learning won't "count.
article_snippet: One relatively new program is Southern New Hampshire University's College for America, or CfA, an online "competency-based" Associate of Arts degree aimed at working adults.
article_snippet: CfA worked closely with employers to identify the competencies employers were looking for, like communication, critical thinking and teamwork.
article_snippet: Then faculty designed real-world tasks and projects to determine whether students had mastered each competency.
article_snippet: Someone who worked at a PR firm might whiz through the communications competencies and spend more time on the math competencies.
article_snippet: Hundreds of schools, from Antioch to the University of Michigan to Purdue University, are looking to offer competency-based certificate, associate, and baccalaureate degree programs.  
article_snippet: Some competency-based programs don't focus on research -- faculty are hired for specific expertise, like curriculum design, English literature or advising.
article_snippet: Other programs use technology and data analytics to help students and faculty understand where students are doing well and where students are struggling.
article_snippet: This allows for more targeted, personalized support by faculty.