Competency-Based Education Network
C-BEN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that convenes colleges, employers, state agencies, and policymakers to advance competency-based education and skills-based hiring. It provides consulting, frameworks, online professional development, and the CBExchange annual conference.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersFranklin, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Competency-Based Education Network does
Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2015 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, that operates as the national field-builder for competency-based education (CBE) and skills-based learning in the United States. It is the only U.S. organization dedicated exclusively to competency-based learning in higher education and positions itself as the convener and implementation partner across colleges, universities, employers, state agencies, tribal nations, accreditors, and policymakers. C-BEN runs a network of member organizations and individuals, supported by a board of directors drawn from higher education and workforce leaders, with ~11–50 staff and a leadership team recruited heavily from Guild Education, Walden University, UMass Global, and major federal workforce programs.
C-BEN's product portfolio combines consulting, frameworks, events, and online learning rather than a single software platform. Core offerings include C-BEN Solutions (consulting and technical assistance for CBE program design, accreditation navigation, and implementation), CompetentU (an online on-demand professional development platform with a certificate program in designing competency-based learning), the Center for Skills by C-BEN and its Partnership for Skills Validation (a 60+ organization cross-sector coalition building skills-validation guidance), the Project on Apprenticeship Standards and Interoperability (PASI, a $12.5M U.S. Department of Labor–funded initiative), the Quality Framework and QualSurance quality assurance approach, and CBExchange, an annual conference drawing 700+ attendees. Recent framework launches include the Skills-Ready Technology Rubric (with 1EdTech Consortium and Unicon) and the Governing Talent Marketplaces guide (with the National Governors Association).
The business model rests on five revenue streams: tiered memberships (Friend free, Contributor $500, Champion $2,000, Sponsor $5,000+), fee-based consulting and technical assistance engagements with institutions and state systems (Champion members receive 15% off), CBExchange event sponsorships and registrations, CompetentU course enrollment, and philanthropic/government grants (Walmart Foundation for Powering Trust in Skills, and a U.S. Department of Labor cooperative agreement with the Alabama Commission on Higher Education for PASI). C-BEN reports a global footprint spanning the U.S. and Singapore, with 33–35 jurisdictions engaged in Powering Trust in Skills and 7 of 10 winners of the U.S. Department of Education's Connecting Talent to Opportunity Challenge supported by C-BEN's Center for Skills.
Competency-Based Education Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Competency-Based Education Network
- Legal name
- Competency-Based Education Network, Inc.
- Website
- https://c-ben.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- C-BEN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that convenes colleges, employers, state agencies, and policymakers to advance competency-based education and skills-based hiring. It provides consulting, frameworks, online professional development, and the CBExchange annual conference.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Competency-Based Education Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Consulting and Workforce Development Services
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (81392), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Credentialing, Certification Prep & Exam Training (BPACANAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Online Competency-Based Universities (CBE) (EDAHALAI), STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG), Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA)
Keywords
Where Competency-Based Education Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Franklin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Competency-Based Education Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: C-BEN generates revenue through tiered organizational and individual memberships: Friend (free), Contributor ($500/year), Champion ($2,000/year), and Sponsor ($5,000+/year). Champions and Sponsors receive discounts on consulting services and exclusive executive benefits.
- Event Sponsorships: CBExchange annual conference attracts over 700 attendees. Sponsorship packages are customized to organizational goals and range from event and webinar sponsorships to toolkit co-production and promotional opportunities. CBExchange attracts institutions (60%), corporations (7%), nonprofits (8%), government/state systems (8%), international institutions (2%), and individual champions (15%).
- Consulting and Technical Assistance: C-BEN charges for consulting engagements with colleges, universities, state systems, employers, and associations. Services include strategic planning, curriculum design, accreditation navigation, and implementation support. Champion members receive a 15% discount on new consulting engagements.
- CompetentU Professional Development: C-BEN offers self-directed online professional development courses and a certificate program (Designing Competency-Based Learning Solutions for Adults) through the CompetentU platform. Enrollment is managed through courses.c-ben.org.
- Donations and Philanthropic Funding: As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, C-BEN accepts tax-deductible donations. Significant philanthropic support has been received from the Walmart Foundation to fund initiatives such as Powering Trust in Skills and state talent marketplace development.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Friend: Free tier for individuals wanting to stay informed about CBE and skills-first movement |
| Subscription | Annual | Contributor: Individuals engaged in CBE/skills-based work seeking community and practical tools ($500/year) |
| Subscription | Annual | Champion: Executive leaders of organizations leading CBE/skills-based initiatives ($2,000/year) |
| Subscription | Annual | Sponsor: For-profit companies, associations, and entities contributing products to the field ($5,000+) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Competency-Based Education Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
C-BEN is a membership-based nonprofit that helps higher education institutions, state agencies, employers, and policymakers design, implement, and scale competency-based education and skills-based talent systems. Its core deliverables are paid consulting and technical assistance engagements, the CompetentU online professional development and certificate program, the CBExchange annual conference, tiered memberships (Friend, Contributor, Champion, Sponsor), and a portfolio of frameworks (Quality Framework for CBE Programs, Skills-Ready Technology Rubric, Governing Talent Marketplaces guidebook, National Occupational Frameworks).
Product overview
C-BEN operates as a network organization offering a platform-plus-services model. The core offerings include C-BEN Solutions (consulting and technical assistance for competency-based education implementation), CompetentU (an online professional development platform), the Center for Skills by C-BEN with its Partnership for Skills Validation (focused on skills assessment and validation), the Project on Apprenticeship Standards and Interoperability (PASI) for apprenticeship modernization, and CBExchange as an annual conference. C-BEN provides tiered membership access and operates C-BEN Connect as its online community platform. The organization serves higher education institutions, employers, state systems, and government agencies through consulting, resources, and peer learning networks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CBExchange: C-BEN's annual conference on competency-based education, bringing together leaders from hundreds of institutions to learn, connect, and advance high-quality programs.
- CompetentU
- PASI (Project on Apprenticeship Standards and Interoperability)
- Partnership for Skills Validation
Products and services
- C-BEN Solutions (Consulting and Technical Assistance) A suite of consulting and technical assistance engagements helping higher education institutions, employers, state systems, and government agencies design, implement, and scale competency-based education programs across the engagement stages of Exploring, Developing, Implementing, and Growth.
- CompetentU Self-directed online professional development platform that models and teaches CBE principles, offering individual courses and a certificate program (Designing Competency-Based Learning Solutions for Adults) with expert coaching support.
- C-BEN Membership Program Tiered annual membership program with Friend (free), Contributor ($500), Champion ($2,000), and Sponsor ($5,000+) levels providing access to events, webinars, consulting discounts, and online community collaboration tools.
- CBExchange Annual Conference C-BEN's flagship annual conference and foremost gathering on competency-based and skills-based education, drawing over 700 attendees from hundreds of institutions across higher education, employers, workforce systems, and policymakers.
- C-BEN Quality Framework for Competency-Based Education Programs Comprehensive quality framework and User's Guide establishing standards and guidance for designing, implementing, and assessing CBE programs across institutions, foundational to C-BEN's QualSurance quality assurance approach.
- Skills-Ready Technology Rubric Shared, outcomes-focused framework for evaluating learning technologies to determine whether they support skills-based, competency-driven education, with results available in 1EdTech's TrustEd Apps Directory.
- C-BEN Connect Online Community Online community platform serving as C-BEN members' online home for collaboration, learning, and innovation across the competency-based and skills-first education movement.
- Center for Skills by C-BEN (CFS x C-BEN) National catalyst initiative for skills-based assessment, bringing together leaders from education, workforce, and employer hiring systems to guide the field in developing quality talent assessments, implementing quality practices, and sparking innovation in the skills economy.
- Partnership for Skills Validation Cross-sector initiative within the Center for Skills creating clear, cross-sector guidance and best practices for effective skills validation, producing resources including a Common Language Glossary, User Personas and Use Cases, and Principles for Skills Validation Quality at Scale.
- Project on Apprenticeship Standards and Interoperability (PASI) National project to modernize and strengthen the U.S. registered apprenticeship system by building employer-driven National Occupational Frameworks, a Standards Library, and regional technical assistance for states launching registered apprenticeship programs.
- Powering Trust in Skills Initiative National initiative backed by Walmart Foundation helping 35 states, territories, and tribal governments audit and align cross-agency skills practices and build public skills infrastructure and talent marketplaces using a vetted governance framework.
- Governing Talent Marketplaces: A Guide for State Leaders Guidebook developed in partnership with the National Governors Association to help state leaders establish effective skills-based talent ecosystems and governance frameworks, with NGA Center for Best Practices state-centered tools for governors and their staff.
Quantifiable outcome
- Supported 35 jurisdictions in auditing and aligning cross-agency skills practices through Powering Trust in Skills initiative (updated to 33 in later coverage)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Competency-Based Education Network
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Competency-Based Education Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Competency-Based Education Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- National Governors Association (NGA)coreC-BEN partnered with the National Governors Association to release 'Governing Talent Marketplaces: A Guide for State Leaders,' a guidebook helping state leaders establish skills-based talent ecosystems. NGA's Center for Best Practices contributed state-centered tools for governors and their staff. Tim Blute, director of NGA's Center for Best Practices, provided a quote endorsing the guide.
- 1EdTech ConsortiumcoreC-BEN partnered with 1EdTech Consortium and Unicon to advance competency-based learning through interoperable and open technical standards. The collaboration aims to remove technical barriers preventing programs from supporting student success and increases visibility of C-BEN's emerging Skills-Ready Technology Rubric, with results available in 1EdTech's TrustEd Apps Directory.
- UniconcoreUnicon partnered with C-BEN and 1EdTech Consortium to advance competency-based learning through open technical standards and interoperability. Unicon co-developed the Skills-Ready Technology Rubric and provides technology infrastructure expertise to C-BEN's ecosystem.
- Credential EnginecoreCredential Engine is a Core Partner in the Partnership for Skills Validation, contributing cross-sector strategy and developing proven resources for skills validation. Credential Engine's expertise in credential transparency and registry design is part of the CFS x C-BEN tiger team supporting state talent marketplace development.
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce FoundationcoreThe U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is part of the tiger team supporting state talent marketplace implementation through the Powering Trust in Skills cohort. Contributes expertise in employer engagement and workforce development alongside Credential Engine, NGA, and CFS x C-BEN.
- Guild EducationcoreGuild Education is a Core Partner in the Partnership for Skills Validation, contributing expertise in workplace learning, education benefits, and skills-based programs. Multiple C-BEN team members (Lacey McCann, Emily Scheines) previously worked at Guild Education, bringing deep expertise in CBE product design and credit for prior learning.
- Credential Lab / WorkcredminorCredential Lab and Workcred are listed as additional thanks contributors to the Partnership for Skills Validation, providing expertise in credential quality assurance and labor market credentialing.
- AccentureminorAccenture is listed as an additional thanks contributor to the Partnership for Skills Validation, bringing expertise in workforce transformation and skills-based practices.
- Alabama Commission on Higher EducationcorePASI was created through a federally funded cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Labor and the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. C-BEN leads PASI operations under this cooperative agreement, with Josh Laney as Vice President of Apprenticeship and Work-Embedded Learning.
- Alabama Talent TriadcoreC-BEN facilitated collaboration across state agencies, employers, and education providers to create the Alabama Talent Triad, a platform connecting Alabamians to in-state employment and upskilling pathways. Nick Moore of Alabama Talent Triad provided a testimonial noting C-BEN as Alabama's foremost partner in translating learning into competencies.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Competency-Based Education Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Jobs for the Future: A national nonprofit that works with states, employers, and education providers to build equitable workforce and education pathways. JFF is a direct peer because its consulting, policy, and field-building model closely mirrors C-BEN's approach to scaling competency-based education and skills infrastructure, targeting overlapping higher education and state agency customers.
- National Skills Coalition: A national policy and advocacy organization focused on skills-based economic policies and workforce partnerships. It is a direct peer because it operates in the same skills-first policy ecosystem as C-BEN, convening employers, state agencies, and policymakers to build skills-based systems across states.
- Credential Engine: A nonprofit focused on credential transparency and registry design across education, workforce, and hiring systems. It is a direct peer because C-BEN has Credential Engine as a Core Partner in the Partnership for Skills Validation, both organizations serve overlapping state and education customers, and their missions on credential transparency and skills validation are highly aligned.
Broad incumbents
- Lumina Foundation: A large, established private foundation focused on increasing postsecondary attainment and equitable learning outcomes. It is a broad incumbent peer because C-BEN's Executive Vice President Amber Garrison Duncan was formerly a grantmaker at Lumina, and Lumina and C-BEN pursue the same overarching goal of skills-based education reform from a funder versus field-builder angle.
- American Institutes for Research (AIR): A large nonprofit research and evaluation organization with deep workforce and education practice areas. It is a broad incumbent peer because it competes for federal workforce technical assistance contracts similar to PASI, and C-BEN's Central Apprenticeship Project Manager Zachary Miller previously managed labor and workforce evaluation initiatives at AIR.
- Guild Education: A privately held education and skilling platform that partners with employers to provide education benefits through a network of learning providers. It is a broad incumbent peer because multiple C-BEN senior leaders (Lisa McIntyre-Hite, Lacey McCann, Grace Fowler, Emily Scheines, Sara Beth Hoffman) were previously at Guild, and both organizations operate in the same skills-based education and adult learner market.
Emerging players
- Western Governors University: A nonprofit online university and the original pioneer of competency-based higher education at scale. It is an emerging (and arguably category-defining) peer because C-BEN's mission is to support the broader CBE ecosystem of which WGU is the most prominent institution, and C-BEN's Quality Framework was built to accredit and validate programs like WGU's direct assessment models.
Others
- 1EdTech Consortium: A member-driven nonprofit consortium that develops open technology standards for the education sector. It is an adjacent/partner peer because C-BEN co-developed the Skills-Ready Technology Rubric with 1EdTech (and Unicon), and the rubrics are published in 1EdTech's TrustEd Apps Directory, making it a deeply aligned technology standards partner rather than a direct competitor.
- National Governors Association (NGA): A bipartisan association representing U.S. state governors. It is an adjacent/partner peer because C-BEN co-developed the Governing Talent Marketplaces guidebook with NGA's Center for Best Practices, and NGA's network of governors and state policy staff is a force multiplier for C-BEN's state-level consulting work.
- Unicon: A technology consulting firm specializing in open-source education and learning infrastructure. It is an adjacent/partner peer because Unicon co-developed the Skills-Ready Technology Rubric with C-BEN and 1EdTech, providing technology infrastructure expertise that complements C-BEN's programmatic field-building work.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Competency-Based Education Network social profiles
Digital presenceCompetency-Based Education Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Competency-Based Education Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Competency-Based Education Network subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Competency-Based Education Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Competency-Based Education Network M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Competency-Based Education Network
What does Competency-Based Education Network do?
C-BEN is a membership-based nonprofit that helps higher education institutions, state agencies, employers, and policymakers design, implement, and scale competency-based education and skills-based talent systems. Its core deliverables are paid consulting and technical assistance engagements, the CompetentU online professional development and certificate program, the CBExchange annual conference, tiered memberships (Friend, Contributor, Champion, Sponsor), and a portfolio of frameworks (Quality Framework for CBE Programs, Skills-Ready Technology Rubric, Governing Talent Marketplaces guidebook, National Occupational Frameworks).
Is Competency-Based Education Network a public or private company?
Competency-Based Education Network is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Competency-Based Education Network founded?
Competency-Based Education Network was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Competency-Based Education Network based?
Competency-Based Education Network is headquartered in Franklin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Competency-Based Education Network make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are event Sponsorships, consulting and Technical Assistance, competentU Professional Development and donations and Philanthropic Funding.
Who are Competency-Based Education Network's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Jobs for the Future, National Skills Coalition and Credential Engine. Broad incumbents are Lumina Foundation, American Institutes for Research (AIR) and Guild Education. Western Governors University is listed as an emerging player. Others are 1EdTech Consortium, National Governors Association (NGA) and Unicon.
Does Competency-Based Education Network have an API?
No public API is recorded for Competency-Based Education Network.
What industry is Competency-Based Education Network in?
Competency-Based Education Network's product category is Education Consulting and Workforce Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACANAJ, Credentialing, Certification Prep & Exam Training, with a secondary code of EDAHALAI, Online Competency-Based Universities (CBE). Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 8600.