How Convergence is Changing the Future of Higher Education
Now is the time for academic leaders to move with agility and collaborate to advance lifelong learning and educational access.
Across higher education, a quiet revolution is underway. Institutions are rethinking what learning looks like: who it’s for, how it’s recognized, and how it connects to real-world outcomes. At the heart of this transformation lies a concept known as convergence — the merging of non-credit and credit-bearing programs to create seamless pathways for learners throughout their lives and careers.
Traditionally, credit-bearing degree programs and non-credit workforce courses have existed on opposite sides of campus. Bluntly speaking, one has been seen as academic, the other practical. One focuses on theory, the other on practical skills.
In a world of political upheaval and technological disruption, the ability to align learning with workforce needs has never been more important. Yet, for many institutions, traditional boundaries have made that alignment difficult. Convergence offers a way forward.
What Convergence Means for the Future of Learning
Convergence is now a critical topic. More and more, students who complete non-credit programs such as short courses, workforce certificates, and other types of professional development, want that learning to count toward a degree. And employers want their workforce training programs to connect to longer-term educational opportunities.
The theme of the online and professional education association UPCEA’s 2025 Conference was ‘Convergence: Credential Innovation in Higher Education.’ Some of our Academic Leadership Group colleagues joined deans, chief learning officers, and registrars at the conference to explore how we can advance innovative credentials in higher education. It was a great opportunity to discuss what UPCEA describes as a “fast-moving, but still largely amorphous movement,” and learn from some trailblazing institutions.
A great example shared at the conference comes from the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). Across its 13 colleges, CCCS has built a statewide transfer matrix that allows faculty to evaluate non-credit learning and determine what it’s worth in academic credit.
For students, this means that qualifying non-credit courses or certificates can now count towards degree programs. It’s a small change with a huge impact that saves time and money for students while catapulting them forward in their learning journeys.
Why Convergence Matters Now
Higher education is under pressure. Political and economic upheaval are accelerating the need for change and innovation. Budgets are tight and new revenue streams are needed. Student demographics are shifting, and the traditional pipeline of 18-year-old undergraduates is shrinking. At the same time, the demand for lifelong learning that keeps pace with changing careers is growing. Many adults now want to retrain, upskill, or re-enter education later in life. And many employers are rethinking traditional workforce development as traditional roles are transformed or made obsolete by digital disruption and geopolitical shifts.
Partnerships That Power Change
Employers play a huge role in this transformation. Many of the most successful workforce programs are built in partnership with industry. Increasingly, industry partners want to be co-creators, helping to design courses that develop the skills they most need. In return, institutions gain rich workplace insights, stronger connections to their communities, and learning that leads to real job outcomes.
The institutions who are doing this most successfully have strong partnership strategies and foster cultures of open, proactive communication. External relations teams partner internally with faculty colleagues as well as fostering greater collaboration with employers and community stakeholders.
Turning The Convergence Opportunity Into Action
Convergence is much more than an academic concept. It represents a strategic opportunity for institutions.
To take advantage of this opportunity, institutions need to reevaluate the way they are designed.
To make the most of this opportunity, leaders need to focus on:
Vision and Strategy: The very purpose of the institution may need to be reimagined to reflect a renewed commitment to democratizing access to learning for a broader, more diverse student population. When it comes to strategic planning, academic pathways need to be aligned with the institution’s mission and values as well as wider community needs
Organizational Design: Standardized, institution-wide systems and processes will support a shift towards convergence. Learning Management Systems may need to be overhauled. We may also see state systems and regional accelerators being put in place to drive this standardization at a macro level
Change Management: For many institutions, convergence is more than a systems project — it’s a cultural shift that involves changing deeply ingrained ways of working. Effective change management involves supporting faculty and other employees through changes to the institution’s goals and systems
Partnership Strategy: Mutually beneficial relationships with employers and other stakeholders need to be developed and institutionalized — woven into the fabric of how the organization operates
Collaboration Frameworks: Making the most of this opportunity requires a coalition of academic leaders, technology vendors, employers, and policymakers to work together. Internally, faculty, registrars, and administrators need to collaborate closely. Fostering external as well as internal dialogue connects people, purpose and ideas to drive innovation and change.
A Win for Learners, Institutions and Wider Communities
The benefits of convergence go way beyond individual learners.
In an era when academic institutions are facing tremendous upheaval, convergence provides an opportunity to do what they do best: serve their communities. If we make the most of this opportunity, it could make lifelong learning a reality for many more people.
For community colleges in particular, convergence can be a powerful way to demonstrate value to government, employers, and the public. The institutions that will thrive are those that can move with agility, combining rapid response with ruthless prioritization of the actions that deliver the greatest impact.
By making it easier for people to earn, transfer, and build on their learning, we strengthen our communities and our economy. communities. Institutions can become engines for economic mobility — helping individuals and industries adapt and grow together in a fast-changing world.
If you’d like to explore your convergence vision and strategy, we’d love to talk to you. Please get in touch to arrange an exploratory 30-minute conversation.