Your new certificate program has launched, but your team is disappointed with the enrollment numbers. When you talk with employers in your industry, you sense no enthusiasm and no interest in the program.
Most associations start credential design with subject matter expertise and member interests—without asking employers what they need. Flip that. Start where your credentials matter most: when a hiring manager is choosing between candidates or a supervisor is deciding on a promotion. Then work backward.
What is an employer value proposition for credentials? It’s designing your association’s certification, certificate, or microcredential programs around employer hiring and promotion needs.
Instead of hoping employers will value what you've already created, build an employer value proposition into your credentialing programs from the start. Reverse engineer your credentials. Start with what employers need when they're hiring or promoting. Work backward from there to learning outcomes.
Before writing a single learning objective, talk to the people who make workplace decisions.
Set up advisory sessions with hiring managers and HR staff. Ask them:
Study job postings in your field and note the exact language. When three postings ask for 'strong communication skills,' dig deeper. Does that mean public speaking? Writing proposals? Managing difficult conversations?
HR managers and department heads often have different perspectives on what matters. HR might emphasize credentials because they're easy to verify. Department heads might care more about whether someone can solve the problems they're facing.
Document everything, including the exact terminology employers use. You'll use these words verbatim when writing credential descriptions, marketing copy, and competency frameworks.
You know what employers need and what evidence they trust. Now, create learning outcomes that produce exactly that evidence.
Every learning outcome must connect directly to what employers need their people to do. This might change what you thought you were building. Maybe you need a series of stackable microcredentials for specific skills rather than one comprehensive certification. Maybe your assessments need to produce work samples that learners can show employers, not just a score on a test.
Before you build anything, show employers your learning outcomes. For each one, explain: Here's your need, here's the learning outcome, here's how we'll assess it. Does this work for you?
Build in flexibility so you can update competencies without overhauling the entire program.
A credential employers have never heard of is worthless. Make yours easy to find and understand.
Create marketing materials specifically for employers. Your copy should speak to hiring managers in their language, not yours. Use jargon-free credential names that instantly tell employers what someone can do.
Build a searchable directory of credential holders. Use digital badges that link to competency details. When a learner shares their credential on LinkedIn, can an employer click through and see exactly what that person can do?
See if your learning management system (LMS) can generate shareable evidence of competency that looks professional and is easy for employers to understand.
You know you’ve hit the jackpot when employers start promoting your association’s credentials in their own training programs.
The reverse engineering process doesn't end at launch. Industries change fast, and your credentials need to keep up.
Recruit volunteers for employer advisory boards that meet regularly, not to rubber stamp your decisions, but to tell you honestly whether your credential holders can do the job.
Track outcomes. What happens to people who earn your credentials? Are they getting hired? Promoted? Do they command higher salaries? Survey employers who've hired your credential holders and ask what value they've seen.
Schedule annual reviews. Use what you learn to update competency frameworks, refine assessments, and adjust content. Your LMS should make this updating possible without disrupting learners.
Employers rely on data for their talent decisions. They want to know if your credential produces better employees. Show them the proof.
Track these metrics from day one:
This data proves ROI to skeptical employers and shows you where to improve. You need to know if credential holders aren't performing as expected.
Document employer success stories. Share the numbers. And build tracking into your programs from the beginning—don't bolt it on later.
1. Interview hiring managers to understand their talent decisions.
2. Identify what proof of competency employers recognize and trust.
3. Map learning outcomes directly to employer requirements.
4. Design credentials for discoverability and employer visibility.
5. Build employer advisory boards for ongoing feedback.
Track and measure credential ROI with employer-relevant metrics.
When you reverse engineer credentials, you stop selling and start partnering. Employers are no longer an audience to convince; they're your supportive co-creators.
Your LMS should support this approach: tracking competencies, updating content quickly, measuring outcomes, and showing employers what your credentials actually certify. Download the TopClass Ultimate Guide to LMS Selection to find one that does.