The State of Learning and Readiness in California
Expanding skills, growing mobility, and a timely opportunity for clearer credentials
Based on original research conducted with The Harris Poll, this report offers a California-specific view of how workers are building skills, pursuing new opportunities, and navigating credentialing across education and employment amid rapid workforce change.
A workforce on the move
California’s workforce is dynamic, mobile, and increasingly focused on skills.
of workers say they plan to change jobs within the next two years
are interested in upskilling
say their work is already skills-based
Demand is accelerating
Across the state, workers are motivated to learn and advance, and that demand is increasing.
- 90% say additional training would help them progress professionally
- 82% are eager to continue working in skills-based careers
At the same time, many are navigating a complex landscape of skills, training options, and career pathways, highlighting the need for clearer signals around what matters most.
Navigating credentials
Credentials play an important role in connecting learning to opportunity, especially as skills-based hiring becomes more common.
- 77% of workers trust that credentials can support career advancement
- 87% say credentials could be clearer
As more people invest in skills, there is a growing need to ensure credentials are easy to understand, recognize, and apply across education and employment.
Supporting mobility across systems
As workforce mobility increases, consistency and portability are becoming more important.
- 78% say transferring credentials between institutions is more difficult than it should be
- 88% say portable credentials across schools and employers would be valuable
Improving how credentials move across systems can help support faster transitions, reduce administrative complexity, and better reflect how people learn and work today.
A timely opportunity
Support for strengthening credentialing systems is broad and increasingly urgent.
- 90% say clearer, more standardized credentials could unlock greater mobility
- <60% support a more coordinated, statewide approach to credentialing
As skills-based paths continue to expand and career mobility accelerates, more consistent and portable credentials can help connect learning to opportunity and support a more agile, future-ready workforce.
Connect skills to opportunity
California’s workforce is already adapting to a skills-based economy. The opportunity now is to ensure systems evolve just as quickly.
Download the full report
Methodology
Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Instructure from February 9 - 18, 2026, among 507 adults ages 18 and older who reside in California and are employed full-time, part-time, or self-employed, or looking for work. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 5.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Brian Watkins at brian.watkins@instructure.com.