Penn State Extension recently was awarded a competitive national grant to build a microcredentialing system aimed at strengthening the agricultural workforce and formally recognizing job-ready skills.
The award comes from the Extension Foundation's AgriProspects Workforce Development Network, which selected Penn State as one of five Extension organizations nationwide in its second round of funding. The program awarded $1 million total across five organizations - approximately $200,000 per award - from 74 proposals submitted.
The project, "Establishing a Microcredentialing Infrastructure for Extension," is led by Maria Gorgo-Simcox, bilingual horticulture extension educator.
The program team also includes Linda Falcone, leadership and community vitality extension educator and co-principal investigator; Hope Kassube, bilingual poultry extension educator and co-principal investigator; Kathleen Sexsmith, assistant professor of rural sociology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences; and Rebecca Rumbel, assistant director of noncredit digital education in the college.
Also, Kate Oyler, assistant director of web strategy and operations in the college; Daniel Weber, tree-fruit extension educator; Kari Peter, associate research professor of tree-fruit pathology who engages in Spanish-language outreach; and Gino Lorenzoni, associate professor of poultry science and avian health with bilingual training experience.
The project builds on Penn State Extension's earlier "Success Skills in Spanish 4 Ag" project, which aimed to improve safety, communication and workforce retention for Spanish-speaking tree-fruit and poultry workers through training in agricultural English, safety compliance and professional skills.
"This second round allows us to move from identifying workforce needs and piloting training to a system that can scale, specialize and formally recognize learning," Gorgo-Simcox said.
A microcredential is a specific skill-based learning opportunity that helps people quickly build needed skills and earn a recognized credential.
Using the new funding, Penn State Extension will expand its Spanish-language success skills programming into microcredentialed, industry-informed training for agricultural workers. New modules will be developed for five key sectors: tree fruit, poultry, dairy, mushroom and landscaping. The project also will add supervisory and advanced language success courses.
Participants will earn digital credentials that verify their skills and align with employer and industry expectations. Guided by worker and employer feedback, the program is designed to improve communication, safety, job confidence and career advancement, while helping employers strengthen retention, compliance and workforce efficiency.
"Most importantly, this phase makes it possible to create an integrated microcredentialing system," Gorgo-Simcox said. "Workers told us they want training that is recognized and portable. Employers want credentials that reflect real-world expectations. This project delivers both."
Sexsmith has been involved in both rounds of the project.
"I am excited to bring the English trainings we developed for the tree-fruit and poultry industries to Spanish-speaking workers across multiple industries," she said. "Participants told us they are highly motivated to improve their English but often struggle to find local courses that feel relevant to their daily work. Our program fills that gap. We've seen its impact extend beyond the workplace as farmworkers share these resources with family members and gain confidence communicating with English-speaking supervisors and navigating their communities."
Falcone added that Extension's mission is about access.
"Providing science-based education in a worker's native language helps build a safer, more knowledgeable workforce across Pennsylvania," she said.
The project also strengthens Penn State Extension's digital capacity to deliver and track workforce training.
"This approach allows learners to earn verifiable credentials that showcase what they have learned," Rumbel said. "Employers can trust that workers are being trained in industry-needed skills grounded in Penn State Extension's research-based expertise."
Oyler said the project builds on Extension's existing digital framework to support modern workforce development.
"We can track learner progress and issue credentials that are meaningful, shareable and aligned with real-world competencies," Oyler said. "Ultimately, this work strengthens our operational capacity to manage training across diverse audiences and industry partners, increases transparency in learner achievement, and positions Extension as a workforce development platform designed to grow and serve more learners in an increasingly digital environment."
Gorgo-Simcox said the project has the potential to reshape how Extension approaches professional development.
"By integrating industry-specific content with a formal microcredentialing system, Extension can move beyond standalone workshops toward structured learning pathways that support career progression," she said. "This project demonstrates a model for multilingual, workforce-focused programming designed to expand while meeting employer needs and remaining accessible to workers."
Gorgo-Simcox noted that this approach positions Extension to deliver more flexible, inclusive and career-relevant professional development that can be adapted across agricultural sectors and other Extension programs in the future.
AgriProspects is funded by the Extension Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
