Help STARs turn proven skills into trusted, portable opportunity.

WorkOnward Foundation built SkillSignal to address a central workforce challenge: people have skills, but systems cannot reliably see, trust, or transfer those skills. We make competency evidence transparent, verifiable, and useful for real mobility decisions.

Built for credential transparency and skills validation in non-traditional pathways.

Public certificate preview

Each credential is issued with transparent issuer details, certificate ID, and verification-ready public presentation to strengthen trust and portability.

Why this matters now

Aligned with current workforce-mobility priorities: we reduce the distance between learning and hiring by making skills visible, trusted, and transferable for workers who are Skilled Through Alternative Routes.

Fragmented Learn-to-Work Systems

Workers navigate disconnected education, training, and employment systems where demonstrated skills are hard to carry forward.

Invisible Non-Degree Skills

Skills gained through work, service, community programs, and short-cycle learning are often not recognized in hiring and advancement decisions.

Low Trust and Portability

Without transparent evidence and verification, credential claims are inconsistent and difficult for employers, learners, and funders to trust.

How WorkOnward drives confidence in credentials

Step 1

Validate Skills in Real Contexts

SkillSignal simulates realistic workplace scenarios and evaluates competencies with structured rubrics designed for frontline success.

Step 2

Issue Transparent Credential Records

WorkOnward Foundation issues shareable public certificate records with clear metadata, issuer identity, and traceable skill outcomes.

Step 3

Enable Confident Mobility Decisions

Employers, workforce partners, and learners can verify credential authenticity and use trusted skill evidence for progression decisions.

Product proof: built for observability and action

These in-product views show how readiness, retries, credential issuance, and transcript-derived performance are surfaced for continuous improvement and accountability.

SkillSignal dashboard showing readiness, retry unlocks, credentials, and next-step actions.

Readiness + intervention visibility

Decision-makers can see who is progressing, where practice needs reinforcement, and when credential outcomes are issued.

SkillSignal progress tracker showing weekly trend, competency pass rate, and transcript history.

Transcript-derived evidence trail

Progress trends and transcript history provide transparent, auditable skill evidence that strengthens trust in each credential decision.

Aligned with workforce mobility priorities

Credential Quality & Transparency

Clear issuer identity, verification routes, and structured metadata improve confidence in credential utility.

Skills Validation Pathways

Practical, scenario-based assessment supports workers in non-traditional pathways and strengthens labor-market signaling.

Explore-tier readiness

We are positioned to scale this model through an Explore-tier pathway, with ambition to execute measurable outcomes under a $250K grant envelope.

Responsible AI, human trust

Human-in-the-loop evaluationAI assists consistent measurement while rubric governance and oversight remain people-led.

Transparency by defaultCredential records are designed to be understandable, verifiable, and useful across partners.

Privacy-aware implementationSensitive learner data is handled with controls that support safe sharing and responsible use.

Partner with us to expand workforce mobility.

WorkOnward Foundation is ready to scale trusted skills validation infrastructure that meets learners where they are and connects them to real economic opportunity.