The Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) is awarding Portland State University $2,425,290 million dollars for the Future Ready Oregon Credit for Prior Learning program. Beginning with the creation of a Human Services degree program between the School of Social Work and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, this grant will create a robust Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) pathway for adult learners at PSU.
“This investment from the Higher Education Coordinating Commission will allow us to respond to Oregon’s workforce shortages by offering an undergraduate Human Services degree to historically underrepresented adult learners,” said Stephanie Bryson, PhD, Primary Investigator on the project and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for the School of Social Work. “The best part is that we will be able to grant credit for prior workforce and lived experience, significantly reducing time to degree and moving graduates into critically needed positions in behavioral health.”
The Human Services degree will respond to a critical workforce shortage in the state of Oregon of qualified behavioral health and substance abuse counselors. While other human services degrees exist in Oregon, PSU’s proposal is fully interdisciplinary, with Credit for Prior Learning embedded in the program to recognize the workforce needs in the state and the work experience of adult learners seeking a degree.
The program will also help meet Oregon’s ambitious goals for adult education and training. In a study conducted by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), Credit for Prior Learning alone increased the likelihood of an adult student’s degree completion by more than 17%. Additionally, students who receive CPL complete their degrees faster.
“The Future Ready Oregon Credit for Prior Learning grant will provide Portland State University the opportunity to enhance and strengthen its impact in meeting the workforce needs of Oregon by recognizing the talents of our students and community partners,” said Jose Coll, Dean of the School of Social Work and Interim Dean of the College of Education. “This grant will also enable and strengthen existing collaborative efforts between PSU and its many community college partners in supporting transfer students utilization of Credit for Prior Learning as a degree completion pathway. As Dean of the School of Social Work and Interim Dean of the College of Education, I would like to thank the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) for their collaboration in exploring how PSU’s School of Social Work can meet the needs of their members and state workforce through the unitization of Credit for Prior Learning.”
Many current and prospective adult learners work in entry level positions for the Oregon Department of Human Services, nonprofit agencies, or for behavioral health and chemical dependency providers. The Human Services program will provide an opportunity for them to earn credit for their work experience and prior credentials.
The Human Services program will be available fully online. Both Oregon residents and out of state students can enroll in the program, which will launch in fall, 2024.
Embracing CPL will also allow PSU to respond to the state of Oregon’s workforce demands for other industries, such as semiconductors, microelectronics, business, and urban and public affairs.