UNO Skills Lab: Supporting UNO’s Institutional Skills Ecosystem

A Center for Competencies, Skills, and Workforce Development (CCSW) Initiative

The UNO Skills Lab supports the development of UNO’s skills ecosystem. This ecosystem connects labor market data, academic learning, and credential innovation into an institutional approach to skills development and validation.

To strengthen UNO’s capacity to ensure, the Skills Lab contributes to regional labor market analysis, supports research-informed assessment practices, and partners with faculty and staff to embed skill development and assessment into academic and co-curricular experiences.

Together, these efforts strengthen UNO’s capacity to ensure that skills developed at UNO are evidence-based, workforce-relevant, and meaningfully validated. This work reinforces the university’s mission to serve Omaha and the region while building long-term institutional capability in workforce-aligned credential innovation.

VISIBLE

MAKE YOUR SKILLS SEEN

CREDIBLE

VALIDATED THROUGH REAL WORK

VALUED

WORKFORCE-ALIGNED & ACCESSIBLE

The UNO Skills Framework: From Workforce Demand to Validated Skills

STAGE 1: LABOR MARKET ANALYSIS

Analyze market trends
Identify high-demand skills
Forecast emerging roles

STAGE 2: UNO SKILLS REPORT

Synthesized skills report
Top regional skills
Updated annually

STAGE 3: UNO SKILLS FRAMEWORK

Embedded across academic experiences
Map curriculum and activities
Align with identified skills

STAGE 4: UNO SKILL BADGES

Verified digital credentials
Demonstrate key skills
Portable and shareable

Cover image of the “2025–26 UNO Skills Report” featuring a University of Nebraska at Omaha campus building with columns and a central tower. A bold red graphic frame overlays the top and left edges. White text reads “2025–26 UNO Skills Report” with the tagline “Skills That Shape Omaha. Powered by the University of Nebraska at Omaha,” alongside UNO branding and logos. — The UNO Skills Report is part of UNO’s broader strategy to align credential innovation with regional workforce demand. It uses labor market data, including job postings and employer insights, to identify the top 10 in-demand and emerging skills in the Omaha region.

Updated annually, the report provides a shared, evidence-based view of the skills shaping the regional economy and serves as the foundation of UNO’s skills ecosystem by linking workforce needs to academic design and assessment.

These priority skills directly inform the UNO Skills Framework and Skill Badges, ensuring that student-validated skills align with current and emerging workforce demands.
Access here the UNO Skills Report

Graphic on a black background titled “Consistent with these principles, UNO’s approach prioritizes,” listing five key areas: performance-based skill demonstration, transparent assessment criteria, fair and inclusive validation, secure and ethical data use, and scalable approaches across programs, with simple icons accompanying each point. — Aligned with National Best Practices in Skills Validation

The UNO Skills Framework is aligned with nationally recognized best practices in skills validation, including guidance from the Center for Skills by C-BEN. These frameworks emphasize that skills should be validated through demonstrated performance and evidence rather than inferred solely through course completion or credentials.

How Skills Are Validated at UNO

HOW IT WORKS:

Icon of a document with a red checkmark inside a gray circle, with a red notification badge showing “1” below it. The word “DEMONSTRATE” appears underneath in bold text.

Skills are developed and applied through embedded academic experiences.

Icon of a clipboard with three red checkmarks on a checklist inside a gray circle, with a red notification badge showing “2” below it. The word “ASSESS” appears underneath in bold text.

Faculty evaluate student work using defined criteria and research-informed practices.

Icon of an award ribbon with a red star in the center inside a gray circle, with a red notification badge showing “3” below it. The word “VALIDATE” appears underneath in bold text.

Skills are formally recognized through UNO Skill Badges when standards are met.

What Makes UNO Skill Badges Valuable

Three cards illustrating key features of UNO Skill Badges: earned through assessed academic work, portable and shareable with employers and networks, and credentials that stay with students across academic and career pathways.

UNO’S TOP 10 SKILLS FOR 2025-26

UNO’s Top 10 Skills were selected based on a combination of labor market analytics, faculty input, and feedback from The CCSW Advisory Board, ensuring alignment with regional workforce needs.

Professor Reiter Palmon