Business-Higher Education Forum Selected By Lumina Foundation to Create Statewide Workforce Training Plans for High-Value Short-Term Credentials in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Texas

Media Contact: Frank Avery | frank.avery@bhef.com | Managing Director

July 10, 2025 — Washington, D.C. — The Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) has been selected as a technical assistance provider for the new FutureReady States initiative, a national effort by Lumina Foundation to ensure that short-term credentials deliver strong economic returns for working adults and state economies. Through this initiative, BHEF will work with state teams in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Texas to develop guidance and resources to review and assess existing short-term credential policies, practices, and investments; establish state-specific goals; and build statewide strategies—integrating policy, practice, and data—to implement high-value, industry-aligned credentials.  This effort will empower states to harness the potential of short-term credentials to meet labor market demands, strengthen communities, and support residents’ success both in the classroom and in their careers.

Together, BHEF and its state partners will work to ensure participating programs:

• Are accessible and affordable for working adults
• Serve underrepresented student populations, and
• Deliver measurable outcomes for learners and employers.

“Millions of adults are looking for fast, affordable ways to gain new skills—and employers want talent today,” said Chauncy Lennon, Lumina’s vice president for learning and work. “FutureReady States can help states meet this moment by giving everyone a laser focus on what works. We are pleased to have the Business-Higher Education Forum join our network of technical assistance partners to help us drive improvements in access, quality, and outcomes for learners in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Texas.”

BHEF joins this effort as the only grantee explicitly committed to integrating employer voices into every phase of this work. Building on its deep state-level expertise in bringing together employers, educators, and the public sector to shape workforce policy and practice, BHEF will provide targeted technical assistance and strategic guidance to help design and implement effective education and workforce strategies in:

• Texas, a leader in outcomes-driven, workforce-aligned education policy and funding, where BHEF will focus on supporting strategies in response to the state’s outcomes-based community college funding formula and newly refined Credentials of Value framework and methodology. Working alongside key partner, the Texas Association of Community Colleges, BHEF will help local colleges find ways to align institutional programs, policies, and reporting practices to ensure students receive credentials that prepare them for high-demand careers that lead to upward mobility.
• New Jersey, where lead partners at the New Jersey Council of County Colleges will work with BHEF to evaluate current credential investments, create an action plan to improve how state investments can benefit students, and identify data strategies to track student outcomes. Together, this state team will ensure that New Jersey has clear, ambitious goals and strategies to increase learner attainment of high-quality non-degree credentials and achieve further economic or educational milestones that lead to long-term prosperity.
• Connecticut, where BHEF has partnered with the CT Office of the Governor to lead tech talent pathway development since 2022 and will focus on unifying the state’s approach to defining, scaling, and increasing data transparency of credentials of value. Spearheaded by key partners within the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy, this team will seek to make Connecticut a top-talent destination through the creation of a comprehensive state plan.

“BHEF’s partnership with Lumina comes at a pivotal time for New Jersey’s workforce and economy,” said Dr. Christopher Reber, president of Hudson County Community College and a member of the BHEF board of directors. “This initiative will help strengthen how post-high school partners and employers work together to create high-quality pathways to good jobs, especially for learners from historically underserved backgrounds. We’re proud to contribute to this national effort by sharing New Jersey’s insights and innovations through two incredible national platforms in the Business-Higher Education Forum and Lumina Foundation.”

“Across the country, we’ve seen that high-quality business-higher education partnerships can thrive in any setting, from rural to urban,” said Jennifer Thornton, senior vice president and chief programs officer at BHEF.  “With growing investment in short-term credentials, we’re thrilled to support state teams through FutureReady States as they shape strategies and credential goals that deliver meaningful outcomes for learners, businesses, and communities. These efforts will expand access, increase higher education-workforce alignment, and drive upward mobility for people across the country.”

To learn more about BHEF’s contributions to workforce strategy and regional talent initiatives, visit www.bhef.com.

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