GVSU receives $855,000 grant to help working-age adults earn postsecondary credentials

The Michigan Center for Adult College Success has awarded Grand Valley a grant of $855,000 to support the university's efforts to help more working-age adults obtain postsecondary degrees.

The grant was one of nine awarded through the Center’s competitive $6.4 million Innovation Investment Awards program. 

Kara Van Dam, vice president and chief executive of Omni, said the funding will develop GVSU Omni’s Prior Learning Accelerator and Competency-based Elevator (Omni PLACE). 

This initiative builds on two interacting pillars: 

• The Prior Learning Accelerator will increase the impact of prior learning assessment by identifying skills and learning already mastered. 
• The Competency-based Elevator will support faculty creation of competency-based, modularized microcredentials that will bridge the gap between prior learning and required coursework for degree completion, enabling students to bundle prior learning with microcredentials.

Van Dam added that the program will be specifically tailored for Michigan veterans and working-age adults, leveraging their existing knowledge and skills paired with upskilling modules to expedite their academic and career advancement.

“This project continues our commitment to support adult learners, by addressing a common gap: prior learning that nearly transfers but falls short by an outcome,” Van Dam said. “By bundling prior learning with these microcredentials, students can earn course credits more efficiently and accelerate their progress toward degree completion.”

President Philomena V. Mantella said the grant helps GVSU recognize and capitalize on students' lived experiences.

“Michigan veterans and working adults bring extensive, often-unrecognized skills and knowledge gained through their professional experiences," Mantella said. "GVSU is excited to develop Omni PLACE. By doing so, we support these students’ personal and professional growth and contribute to our state’s economic development goals."

Funded by the Michigan Legislature and administered by the Center for Adult College Success, the Innovation Investment Awards support bold advances toward Michigan’s Sixty by 30 goal to increase the number of working-age adults with a skill certificate or college degree from 51.1% today to 60% by 2030.

“Congratulations to GVSU and all the grantees for recognizing that knowledge and skills are the currencies of the modern employment market,” said Kevin Stotts, president of TalentFirst, which launched the Center for Adult College Success in 2023. “Employer demand for well-trained workers is only going to grow. Helping more adults obtain postsecondary credentials is how we open the door of opportunity for Michigan families.”