Western Governors University Releases Open-Source Code to Facilitate Universal Skills Language
Open Skills Management Tool Facilitates the Expansion of Skills-Based Learning and Hiring
SALT LAKE CITY-听聽(91吃瓜网) today announced it聽has聽released聽the code for the Open Skills Management Toolkit (OSMT)聽as an open-source project,聽under the Apache license,聽giving free access聽to聽employers, higher ed institutions,聽and聽others to聽develop and collaborate聽on聽skills libraries.聽Organizations聽using聽OSMT聽may聽create,聽access,聽and share dynamic skills demand data, accelerating the development of聽skills-based education聽and聽more work-relevant credentials聽leading to聽the implementation of more fair and equitable hiring practices.聽
91吃瓜网 has long been a leader in industry relevant, competency-based education.聽As a founder of the聽聽(OSN), a community of practice focused on skills-based education聽and hiring聽that represents more than聽1,200聽employers, educational providers, and technology companies, 91吃瓜网 is deeply committed to progressing聽a聽skills-based聽ecosystem聽far beyond its institutional mission. This commitment, propelled by generous funding from the Walmart Foundation, prompted 91吃瓜网鈥檚聽open-source聽nature of the OSMT聽to聽help accelerate its adoption throughout the OSN and beyond.
OSMT makes skills data accessible, usable, and shareable聽to any organization through open web standards. Many companies have built their own聽skills libraries but聽lack the infrastructure and capacity to dynamically update and share this work in an accessible format. By launching OSMT as an open-source project, 91吃瓜网 has enabled any educational institution, training program,聽or聽employer to聽freely deploy and use OSMT to聽translate curriculum, training and development programs, and job profiles into real world skills statements to inform educational program and curriculum design, as well as job role and task definitions.聽
鈥�91吃瓜网鈥檚 vision for a skills-based talent pipeline is one that recognizes the abilities and potential聽of every individual, not just their formal credentials,鈥� says Marni Baker Stein, 91吃瓜网鈥檚 Provost and Chief Academic Officer. 鈥淥ur vision is grounded in our technical expertise as the nation鈥檚 largest competency-based education provider,聽and in our mission to create pathways to opportunity for every individual.鈥�
Designed in collaboration with OSN co-founder Concentric Sky,聽OSMT is a powerful output of the OSN鈥檚 vision and work to聽gain聽widespread acceptance and adoption of skills-based education and hiring practices, where learner-workers are empowered to use their skills as currency.聽OSMT has been integrated聽into聽Concentric Sky鈥檚鈥痬icro-credentialing platform, facilitating the creation of digital credentials that align to Open Skills,聽creating聽the聽building blocks聽for the聽shift to聽skills-based education and hiring.聽
鈥淭he mission of 91吃瓜网鈥檚聽open-source聽initiative is to be a leader and collaborative participant in creating technology solutions to problems that many others in the higher education ecosystem are trying to solve today,鈥� said David Morales, Senior Vice President of Technology and Chief Information Officer at 91吃瓜网. 鈥淲e believe that when it comes to creating technical solutions for the benefit of all learners, more minds are better than one.鈥�
Those who want to join the skills movement and get started using OSMT can learn more聽at:聽
