Guillermo Elizondo on Comprehensive Learning Records

This week’s episode is all about comprehensive learning records (or CLR), which is the focus of Gullermo and his team at Territorium. Dustin chats with him about the impact his work has and what he has learned about higher ed from working on a global scale.

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Key Takeaways

• Skills-Based Records as the Future of Transcripts: Traditional transcripts lack the nuance to showcase a student’s comprehensive skillset. Skills-based learner records offer verified, granular data that highlights competencies acquired through coursework, internships, extracurriculars, and more.
• Bridging the Gap Between Education and Employment: By aligning skills data with job market requirements, institutions can better prepare students for meaningful careers. Tools like AI help map learning pathways, identify skill gaps, and connect learners with job opportunities.
• Flexibility in Education Pathways: The shift to skills-based systems enables more flexible learning pathways, allowing students to move between education and work more seamlessly, reducing barriers like cost and time.
• A Global Perspective on Higher Ed Transformation: While higher education challenges are similar worldwide, solutions vary. For example, some countries incentivize employability-focused education through government funding models, emphasizing the importance of measurable outcomes.

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Episode Summary

Transforming the Transcript into a Skills-Based Record

Guillermo explains how Territorium is moving beyond traditional transcripts to create skills-based learner records. These records aggregate data from multiple sources—courses, internships, extracurricular activities—and map them to in-demand job market skills. Unlike resumes, which are self-reported, these records are institution-verified, offering a more reliable and standardized way to evaluate a student’s abilities.

The result? A holistic profile that communicates a learner’s skills to employers, helping students stand out in competitive job markets and enabling institutions to better demonstrate the return on investment in education.

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Bridging Education and the Workforce

Territorium’s tools help students understand how their skills align with workforce demands. Using AI, students receive tailored recommendations for:

• Job Opportunities: A breakdown of roles they are suited for based on their current skillsets.
• Learning Pathways: Steps to close skill gaps and reach their career goals.
• Employment Readiness: Insights into their probability of securing specific roles, such as “80% qualified for a software developer position in New York.”

On the institutional side, universities gain analytics on student employability, allowing them to intervene early and improve career readiness for their graduates.

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Why Skills-Based Learning is More Important Than Ever

The global higher education ecosystem is facing challenges such as declining enrollment and rising student debt. Guillermo emphasizes that students increasingly demand a clear return on investment for their education. Skills-based records not only validate students’ competencies but also empower them to navigate flexible learning and career pathways, such as combining work and study or re-entering higher education after gaining experience.

This Episode is Brought to You By Our Friends at Ologie

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