UNO Skills Lab: Supporting UNO’s Institutional Skills Ecosystem | Center for Competencies, Skills and Workforce Development | University of Nebraska Omaha

University of Nebraska at Omaha

Center for Competencies, Skills and Workforce Development

Competency-based education (CBE) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha reflects a faculty-led, mission-aligned approach to expanding access to high-quality, workforce-relevant learning. It supports UNO’s commitment to educating all learners by creating flexible pathways that meet students where they are and help them advance toward meaningful credentials and degrees.

Grounded in student success, community engagement, and public impact, CBE focuses on what learners know and can do. It represents credential innovation — rethinking how learning is structured, assessed, and recognized—while preserving the academic rigor and quality that define a UNO education.

WHAT CBE MEANS AT UNO

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Faculty-Designed & Governed

UNO faculty design the competencies, assessments, and learning experiences that define CBE pathways, ensuring disciplinary integrity and academic quality.

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Mastery-Based Progression

Learners advance by demonstrating competence, not by seat time, allowing flexibility while maintaining clear, rigorous standards.

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Workforce & Community Aligned

Programs are designed around real-world skills and regional workforce needs, connecting academic learning to career mobility.

Close-up of a person using a computer workstation, with one hand on a mouse and the other near a keyboard. Colorful sticky notes and office materials are visible on the desk in the background. — Why Competency-Based Education at UNO

UNO’s exploration of CBE emerged from a growing need to better serve adult learners, recognize prior learning, and align education with workforce demands without compromising academic standards.

As a metropolitan university with a strong public mission, UNO is uniquely positioned to advance credential innovation that serves learners, employers, and the broader community. CBE provides a structured way to honor what learners already know while supporting their progress toward high-quality credentials.

Bold white text reading “HOW CBE IS DESIGNED” appears on a black background above a workflow graphic. A white and red lightbulb icon on the left is connected by three white dots to a white clipboard checklist icon with red checkmarks on the right, illustrating the progression from ideas and design to structured assessment and planning. — Faculty-Led Infrastructure and National Alignment

CBE at UNO is built from the inside out, with faculty leadership embedded at every level, from competency design to program governance.

Through collaboration with the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) and peer institutions nationwide, UNO aligns workforce needs with academic quality, equity, and accountability.

CCSW supports this work by providing shared infrastructure that enables programs to scale while preserving faculty ownership within departments and colleges.

EXPLORE CBE PATHWAYS AND PARTNERSHIPS

EXPLORE CBE PATHWAYS

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For Learners

Explore flexible degree pathways designed for adult learners and working professionals.

Visit Maverick Flex Path Website

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For Faculty & Program Leaders

Develop or adapt programs using CBE or CBL approaches with support from CCSW infrastructure. Interested in implementing CBE in your program?

Get connected with us!

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For Employers & Partners

Collaborate on workforce-aligned skills, applied learning, and talent development.

Contact CCSW for more information

READ THE UNO+CBE CHAMPIONS PROJECT NEWSLETTERS

Stay connected with the latest updates on competency-based education at UNO. Explore past editions of the UNO+CBE Champions Project Newsletter to learn about project milestones, faculty engagement, program development, and opportunities to get involved.