What Education Design Lab does

Education Design Lab is a national nonprofit founded in 2013 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., that operates as an intermediary using human-centered design to transform the learn-and-work system for New Majority Learners — adults without bachelor's degrees, including STARs (Skilled Through Alternative Routes), working adults, parenting learners, and first-generation students. The Lab convenes cohorts of community colleges, employers, and regional workforce organizations through 1-2 year Design Challenges and custom consulting engagements, working with 1,200+ colleges and organizations and 1,000+ employers since inception.

The Lab's product portfolio centers on three interconnected areas: (1) Durable Skills Micro-credentials — a suite of nine co-designed digital badges (collaboration, critical thinking, creative problem solving, resilience, oral communication, empathy, initiative, and others) delivered via the vsbl online learning platform and issued through Credly/Badgr; (2) Micro-pathways — two or more stackable credentials designed to connect learners to jobs at or above median wage, with nearly 300 such pathways across 100+ community colleges in 20 states through the Community College Growth Engine coalition; and (3) Skills infrastructure tools including the T-Profile (a visual construct of durable + technical skills per job), the Skillitizer job posting skill-matching tool, and Learning and Employment Records (LERs) developed in partnership with Credential Engine's CTDL-based registry.

Revenue is generated through philanthropic grants and consulting services rather than direct commercial pricing. Major funding sources include a $6M unrestricted grant from MacKenzie Scott's Yield Giving Foundation (April 2024), a $3.5M Walmart-funded Advancing Workforce Mobility initiative (2026), and ongoing support from ECMC Foundation, Lumina, Google.org, and the deLaski Family Foundation. Implementation grants flow to partner colleges ($10K each in some programs) and grantee organizations ($250K-$600K in the Walmart initiative). With 51-100 employees and a 2,500+ member Innovator Network, the Lab functions as a design-driven intermediary rather than a scaled product business.

Name

Education Design Lab

Legal name

Education Design Lab

Website

https://eddesignlab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Education Design Lab is a national nonprofit intermediary that uses human-centered design to help community colleges, employers, and workforce organizations build micro-pathways, durable skills micro-credentials, and skills-based hiring infrastructure for New Majority Learners without bachelor's degrees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Design and Workforce Skills Consulting

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Apprenticeship Training (611513), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Higher Education Course Design & Online Program Development (EDAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms (EDAFAMAL), Makerspace, Innovation Lab & Fab Lab Operations (Tools, Safety, Programming) (EDAEAGAI), Advanced Project-Based Learning & Portfolio Mentoring (STEM/arts portfolios, maker projects) (EDANAKAI)

Keywords

• Higher education design
• Micro-credentialing services
• Workforce skills training
• Community college consulting
• Human-centered design

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Education Design Lab operates as a nonprofit that receives grant funding from foundations and corporate philanthropies to fund its programs and initiatives. Major funders include MacKenzie Scott's Yield Giving Foundation ($6M unrestricted grant), Walmart.org, ECMC Foundation, and other philanthropies.
2. Consulting and Design Services: The Lab offers consulting services including design challenges for cohorts of institutions, custom design challenges for individual institutions, and training in human-centered design and change management. Services range from 2-day sprints to 6-month or year-long engagements.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Education Design Lab is a national nonprofit that uses human-centered design to co-create, test, and scale higher-education and workforce solutions — including micro-pathways (stackable credentials leading to jobs at or above median wage), a suite of nine durable skills micro-credentials delivered through its vsbl platform, and skills-infrastructure tools such as T-Profile and Skillitizer. It convenes cohort-based Design Challenges with community colleges and runs initiatives such as the Community College Growth Engine, Reimagining Community Colleges Design Challenge, Advancing Workforce Mobility, and the AI + Durable Skills Work-Based Learning Design Challenge.

Product overview

Education Design Lab is a national nonprofit that operates as a multi-product innovation engine focused on transforming the learn-and-work system for New Majority Learners. The Lab's portfolio centers on three interconnected product areas: (1) Durable Skills Micro-credentials — a suite of nine 21st century skills digital badges (collaboration, critical thinking, creative problem solving, resilience, oral communication, etc.) delivered via the vsbl online platform; (2) Micro-pathways — two or more stackable credentials aligned with employer demand, designed through the Community College Growth Engine and supporting nearly 300 micro-pathways across 100+ colleges; and (3) Skills infrastructure tools including the T-Profile (skills visualization tool), Skillitizer (job skill matching), and Learning and Employment Records (LERs) for digital credential portability. The Lab also runs multiple design challenges and initiatives including the Reimagining Community Colleges Design Challenge, AI + Durable Skills Work-Based Learning Design Challenge, and Advancing Workforce Mobility initiative. Supporting programs include BadgedToHire (research study), XCredit Skills Validation Network, Badging Fellows, UpSkill SA!, Creativity for COVID, and Designers in Residence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• vsbl: A platform to deliver ready-made online learning experiences for durable skills micro-credentials.
• T-Profile
• Skillitizer
• Community College Growth Engine
• Certification + Degree (C+D) pathway

Products and services

• Micro-pathways Short-term, employer-aligned credential programs consisting of two or more stackable credentials packaged as validated market signals that connect learners to employment in high-growth careers. Designed so pathway completion yields salaries at or above median wage and includes targeted durable skills modules. Designed and scaled via the Community College Growth Engine.
• Durable Skills Micro-credentials A co-designed suite of nine 21st-century skills digital badges (including collaboration, critical thinking, creative problem solving, resilience, oral communication, empathy, and initiative) created with 20 colleges and 60 employers to certify in-demand universal skills. Badges are facilitator-assessed, follow strict pedagogy, and are machine-readable, displayed on learners' resumes and LinkedIn profiles via Credly.
• vsbl Ready-made online learning platform that delivers Education Design Lab's durable skills micro-credentials. Provides a turnkey online learning experience for institutions and learners to access the Lab's 21st-century skills credentials.
• T-Profile Tool Visual construct tool that represents the optimal combination of Durable Skills and technical skills for a specified job. Helps employers identify the right mix of 21st-century skills and technical skills for entry-level roles; developed through more than 100 employer sessions.
• Skillitizer Job posting skillitization and matching tool that helps employers and job seekers align job descriptions with required skills and credentials.
• Learning and Employment Records (LERs) Digital records of an individual's learning and work that create more equitable access to employment and education by equipping individuals with verifiable, shareable data about their skills, achievements, experiences, and credentials. Implemented in partnership with Credential Engine using Credential Transparency Description Language.
• Community College Growth Engine Initiative collaborating with community colleges, employers, and regional stakeholders to co-create employer-validated micro-pathways that connect low-wage and entry-level workers to in-demand jobs paying at-or-above median wage and put them on a path toward a degree. As of 2025, it spans 100+ community colleges across 20 states with nearly 300 micro-pathways designed.
• Advancing Workforce Mobility Initiative $3.5 million initiative in collaboration with Credential Engine, funded by Walmart, to improve credential transparency and skills validation for working adults. 18-month cohort experience making skills visible, building employer trust in non-degree credentials, and connecting credential data across education, workforce, and employer systems.
• Reimagining Community Colleges Design Challenge First-of-its-kind transformation project helping five community colleges better align with employer and learner demands in a skills-driven labor market. Cohort-based design challenge with institution redesign teams, funded by ECMC Foundation and MacKenzie Scott's Yield Giving.
• AI + Durable Skills Work-Based Learning Design Challenge Design challenge in partnership with Riipen (work-based learning platform) and Google.org (funder) helping four community colleges design work-based learning experiences that build AI fluency for students. Each participating college receives a $10,000 implementation grant.
• Designers in Residence Program for innovation capacity building within learning institutions through immersive workshops, user-centered research, rapid prototyping tools, and innovation capacity diagnostic training.
• XCredit Skills Validation Network Network bringing together innovators to expand opportunity and improve economic mobility for STARs (Skilled Through Alternative Routes) through diverse, proven methods of skills validation. Produces market scans and glossaries of skills validation methods.

Quantifiable outcome

• For every $1 of seed investment, participating colleges unlock $8 in additional public and private funding
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RiipencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Partnership for AI + Durable Skills Work-Based Learning Design Challenge. Riipen provides its work-based learning platform where students complete employer-designed projects reflecting real-world AI use cases, with employers providing structured feedback directly through the platform.
• Citizens Financial GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026$1.5 million workforce development commitment in Rhode Island including funding for nation's first statewide Banking Micro-Pathway developed with Education Design Lab and Community College of Rhode Island.
• AdvanceNCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2025Regional workforce initiative involving 12 community colleges, 3 universities, and 7 workforce development boards developing 13 micro-pathways in advanced manufacturing for central North Carolina. Education Design Lab contributed $1.4 million matching investment.
• Credential EnginecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Partnership to support community college systems and state agencies in preparing for skills-based learning and hiring expansion. Combines Lab's human-centered design expertise with Credential Engine's Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) and Credential Registry for credential data infrastructure and LER pilots.
• Community College of Rhode IslandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched Banking Micro-Pathway program, graduated first cohort of 10 Rhode Islanders in February 2026 from 15-week part-time hybrid curriculum preparing students for banking careers.
• Goodwill San AntoniocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUpSkill SA! program partner providing incumbent retail workers for micro-credential and certificate programs in collaboration with Alamo Colleges. Workers receive training in resilience, collaboration, and creative problem solving plus logistics management certificates.
• Alamo Colleges District / Palo Alto CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner for UpSkill SA! program and Course + Badge initiative. Alamo Colleges issued over 1,258 skills badges with 851 earned in Fall 2021 alone. District provides faculty training on embedding marketable skills badges into academic courses.
• SA WorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Antonio workforce development organization collaborating on upskilling pathways for incumbent workers in advanced manufacturing and growth sectors.
• WorkcredminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Certification + Degree (C+D) pathway project at Community College of Aurora creating Qualified Behavioral Health Assistant (QBHA) certificate eligible for Medicaid reimbursement.
• CredlycoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital badge platform partner enabling issuance of Lab's durable skills micro-credentials. Badges are displayed on students' LinkedIn profiles and resumes as verified indicators of skills mastery.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Jobs for the Future (JFF): National nonprofit intermediary that designs and scales workforce and education pathways with community colleges and employers. Highly comparable operating model, target customers (community colleges, employers, foundations), and focus on equity-centered skills pathways.
• Achieving the Dream: Nonprofit that partners with community colleges to transform programs around student success and equitable outcomes. Comparable in serving community colleges as primary customers and in driving institutional redesign initiatives.
• Credential Engine: Nonprofit focused on credential transparency infrastructure (CTDL, Credential Registry) and LER enablement. Directly comparable as a partner-and-peer operating in the same credential visibility stack and serving similar state/foundation customers.
• Riipen: Work-based learning platform connecting learners to employer-designed projects. Comparable as a partner in the AI + Durable Skills Design Challenge and as a peer in the work-based learning / micro-pathway space serving community colleges.
• Opportunity@Work: Nonprofit leading the STARs (Skilled Through Alternative Routes) movement to expand skills-based hiring. Highly comparable mission and target population (working adults without bachelor's degrees), and overlapping employer and policy partners.
• Workcred: Nonprofit affiliate of ANSI focused on credential quality and the Certification + Degree (C+D) pathway. Direct peer in the credentialing ecosystem, partnering with the Lab on C+D projects at community colleges.
• Aspen Institute (Workforce Strategies Initiative): Nonthink-tank intermediary running community-college-focused workforce transformation programs (e.g., AIM High). Comparable as a nonprofit intermediary designing employer-validated pathways with community colleges.

Broad incumbents

• Credly: Largest digital credentialing platform used by Education Design Lab for badge issuance. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the credentialing infrastructure space with a wider product portfolio serving enterprise and education customers.
• Guild Education: Large-scale education benefits platform partnering with employers and colleges to deliver skills-based pathways. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the employer-sponsored education/skills pathway space, though operating commercially rather than as a nonprofit.

Others

• Lumina Foundation: Major philanthropic funder in higher education and skills-based hiring. Comparable as a funder and policy actor in the same space, including direct funding of the Lab's BadgedToHire research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eddesignlab
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@educationdesignlab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/education-design-lab

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments10 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Education Design Lab