Traditional assessments don’t tell the whole story. Too often, they measure only what can be captured on a test, overlooking the deep skills people gain through lived experience. Caregiving, military service, on-the-job problem solving, and self-directed learning can shape highly capable professionals, but most systems don’t recognize these competencies. This gap has real consequences. Learners may spend extra time and money repeating what they already know. Institutions may struggle to design programs that adapt to learner strengths. Employers may not get clear signals of workforce readiness. At Labs, we believe it is time for something different.
Labs is developing a new approach to current skills validation that recognizes learning in all its forms. Our goal is to validate real-world skills, whether they are acquired through the workplace, caregiving, military service, or self-directed learning.
What makes this approach different is the way it blends human judgment, AI, and real-world evidence. Instead of relying on static measures, we are building a dynamic, context-aware process that values adaptability, collaboration, and initiative alongside technical expertise.
This work is currently in the prototype and test stage. We are building and testing scenario-based assessments, integrating with OEX for seamless learner experiences, and refining how personalized learning pathways adapt to individual needs. The next phase is about refinement and expansion. We will continue testing and improving prototypes, while also broadening use cases across additional roles and domains. Over time, this approach will allow us to scale skills validation in ways that reduce redundancy, accelerate time-to-credential, and build greater equity and trust in higher education and the workforce.
Our approach is unfolding in several ways:
- Established Skills Framework: We are beginning with a framework that integrates program competencies, workplace competencies, and role dispositions. This allows us to compare a learner’s current state with their target state and design meaningful validation tasks.
- Scenario-Based Assessments: We are creating opportunities for learners to engage in workplace-aligned scenarios. For example, one scenario supports CNAs transitioning to RN/BSN programs by validating the clinical and professional skills they already demonstrate. Another focuses on paraprofessionals moving into educator roles, highlighting the instructional expertise they bring.
- Evidence Triangulation: Using a combination of human and AI-supported evaluation, we triangulate multiple forms of evidence to validate skills in a fair and trustworthy manner.
- Adaptive Pathways: Once skills are validated, learners will be guided into adaptive learning pathways. Interventions such as dynamic formative assessment, adaptive quizzing, and proactive feedback help keep every learner on track.
As this work progresses, we will continue to share additional frameworks, methodologies, and insights that we are gathering to create a new system of learning, assessment, and validation that will center learners and their goals within the process.
For learners, this means faster and more equitable recognition of the skills they already possess. For institutions, it means more agile programs that adapt to learner needs. For employers, it means clearer and more reliable signals of workforce readiness.
This is about more than assessments. It is about reshaping the way we recognize and value learning in all its forms. Skills validation is the bridge between what learners already know and the opportunities they are striving toward. By combining human insight, AI, and real-world scenarios, Labs is building that bridge one step at a time.
