Connecting Open Education and Workforce Development
Open Educational Resources can do more than reduce the cost of learning materials. Because OER can be adapted, updated, and shared, they offer a powerful tool for bringing educators and employers together to create learning experiences that respond to evolving workforce needs.
Through its OER + Workforce initiative, DOERS is exploring how open education can strengthen connections among higher education, industry, and learners. The work focuses on practical ways to use OER to address skills gaps, support workforce-aligned learning, and create stronger pathways between education and employment.
Through its OER + Workforce initiative, DOERS is exploring how open education can strengthen connections among higher education, industry, and learners. The work focuses on practical ways to use OER to address skills gaps, support workforce-aligned learning, and create stronger pathways between education and employment.
Cover image for Bridging the Gap
Bridging the Gap: The OER Workforce Playbook for Higher Education and Industry
Bridging the Gap is an open, peer-reviewed playbook designed to help educators and employer partners co-create workforce-aligned OER.
Developed by DOERS in partnership with the Rebus Foundation, the playbook combines research, insights from the field, practical strategies, and ready-to-use tools. It is designed to help higher education and industry partners move from talking about collaboration to taking action together.
At the heart of the playbook is SKILLBRIDGE, a framework for identifying opportunities to use and co-create OER that build relevant skills, reduce training costs, create authentic learning experiences, and respond to changing industry needs.
Bridging the Gap is an open, peer-reviewed playbook designed to help educators and employer partners co-create workforce-aligned OER.
Developed by DOERS in partnership with the Rebus Foundation, the playbook combines research, insights from the field, practical strategies, and ready-to-use tools. It is designed to help higher education and industry partners move from talking about collaboration to taking action together.
At the heart of the playbook is SKILLBRIDGE, a framework for identifying opportunities to use and co-create OER that build relevant skills, reduce training costs, create authentic learning experiences, and respond to changing industry needs.
What You'll Find in the Playbook
The playbook is organized into four modular chapters, so readers can start with the information most relevant to their work:
A Resources and Toolkit section brings together tools developed throughout the project, including the OER + Workforce Collaboration Toolkit, focus group materials, employer outreach templates, OER resources, workforce development research, and examples of OER-aligned training and partnerships.
Who Is It For?
Bridging the Gap is designed for anyone working to strengthen connections between learning and work, including:
Whether you are building a new partnership, updating curriculum with industry input, exploring OER for workforce training, or looking for practical ways to engage employers and learners in resource development, the playbook provides a place to start.
“A business-friendly explanation of how free, customizable learning materials (OER) can help businesses. In a time where common skills and knowledge are needed for a wide variety of workplaces, shared materials can help everyone.”
— Dr. Hans Aagard, Boise State University
From Collaboration to Action
The playbook is the culmination of a multi-phase DOERS initiative to better understand how OER can support workforce-aligned education.
The work began with the development of the OER + Workforce Collaboration Toolkit, a set of visual tools and a facilitation process designed to help education and industry partners identify workforce challenges and collaboratively develop OER-based solutions. DOERS tested and refined the approach through workshops and gathered additional perspectives from educators and workforce partners through focus groups.
Those lessons informed Bridging the Gap, which brings the project's research, frameworks, collaboration tools, and resources together in one openly available publication.
Most importantly, the playbook is intended to be used, adapted, and shared. Readers can move directly to the chapter, framework, or tool that meets their needs and use it to begin a conversation or collaboration in their own context.
Bridging the Gap: The OER Workforce Playbook for Higher Education and Industry was developed through a partnership between DOERS and the Rebus Foundation, with contributions and input from the DOERS Workforce Working Group, workshop participants, focus group participants, facilitators, and peer reviewers.
The playbook is organized into four modular chapters, so readers can start with the information most relevant to their work:
- Introduction: Why stronger connections between education and industry matter and how OER can help bridge the gap
- OER as a Strategic Tool: How open, adaptable learning resources can support workforce development
- Current Landscape: Findings from the Field: What educators and workforce partners shared about skills gaps, partnerships, curriculum, and opportunities for collaboration
- Opportunities for Collaboration: The SKILLBRIDGE framework and practical actions for educators, employers, and learner
A Resources and Toolkit section brings together tools developed throughout the project, including the OER + Workforce Collaboration Toolkit, focus group materials, employer outreach templates, OER resources, workforce development research, and examples of OER-aligned training and partnerships.
Who Is It For?
Bridging the Gap is designed for anyone working to strengthen connections between learning and work, including:
- Educators and academic leaders
- Employers and industry partners
- Workforce development professionals
- OER practitioners, librarians, and instructional designers
- Students and other learners
- Systems, consortia, and organizations supporting workforce-aligned education
Whether you are building a new partnership, updating curriculum with industry input, exploring OER for workforce training, or looking for practical ways to engage employers and learners in resource development, the playbook provides a place to start.
“A business-friendly explanation of how free, customizable learning materials (OER) can help businesses. In a time where common skills and knowledge are needed for a wide variety of workplaces, shared materials can help everyone.”
— Dr. Hans Aagard, Boise State University
From Collaboration to Action
The playbook is the culmination of a multi-phase DOERS initiative to better understand how OER can support workforce-aligned education.
The work began with the development of the OER + Workforce Collaboration Toolkit, a set of visual tools and a facilitation process designed to help education and industry partners identify workforce challenges and collaboratively develop OER-based solutions. DOERS tested and refined the approach through workshops and gathered additional perspectives from educators and workforce partners through focus groups.
Those lessons informed Bridging the Gap, which brings the project's research, frameworks, collaboration tools, and resources together in one openly available publication.
Most importantly, the playbook is intended to be used, adapted, and shared. Readers can move directly to the chapter, framework, or tool that meets their needs and use it to begin a conversation or collaboration in their own context.
Bridging the Gap: The OER Workforce Playbook for Higher Education and Industry was developed through a partnership between DOERS and the Rebus Foundation, with contributions and input from the DOERS Workforce Working Group, workshop participants, focus group participants, facilitators, and peer reviewers.
OER + Workforce Collaboration Tool Kit
The OER + Workforce Collaboration Tool Kit offers replicable processes and tools for teams to collaborate effectively with partners when designing workforce training solutions using OER.
This prototype collaboration system centered on three visual canvases with accompanying editable source files, designed to guide teams through strategic moments in establishing, developing, and activating workforce education partnerships.
The visual canvases and accompanying guidelines will help users to:
Additional Collaboration Tool Kit facilitator guidance will be added to the ’Bridging the Gap’ playbook once developed.
The OER + Workforce Collaboration Tool Kit offers replicable processes and tools for teams to collaborate effectively with partners when designing workforce training solutions using OER.
This prototype collaboration system centered on three visual canvases with accompanying editable source files, designed to guide teams through strategic moments in establishing, developing, and activating workforce education partnerships.
The visual canvases and accompanying guidelines will help users to:
- Identify successful and emerging workforce and career pathway OER practices among attendees.
- Begin to establish a framework for effective collaboration between workforce and career pathway development and open education.
- Cultivate partnerships among higher education institutions, industry partners, and workforce development entities to share resources and foster skill development.
- Connect the roles of metadata, digital credentials, and AI in aligning instructional materials to jobs and skills.
Additional Collaboration Tool Kit facilitator guidance will be added to the ’Bridging the Gap’ playbook once developed.
Download Copies of the Collaboration Tools
To receive a usable version of these tools and a tools guide, please provide your contact information below.
To receive a usable version of these tools and a tools guide, please provide your contact information below.
