EXCLUSIVE INSTRUCTURECON 2026 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP WEBINAR

From Degrees to Skills: How Institutions Are Building the Infrastructure for Lifelong Learning

Education is being reshaped by learners who need skills now, credentials that travel, and pathways that fit around their careers.

Join us ahead of InstructureCon for an exclusive thought leadership webinar exploring the latest market research, emerging technology trends, and practical lessons from institutions that are building the infrastructure for lifelong learning.

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Most institutions are already supporting some form of lifelong learning, whether through workforce education, professional development, or microcredentials. In many cases, however, the infrastructure behind these programs was not built for this purpose.

At the same time, demand for lifelong learning is accelerating. 39% of workers’ core skills are expected to change by 2030, and 96% of employers say microcredentials help candidates stand out. Learners now expect flexible, easy-to-browse, personalized experiences that fit around their busy lives, yet most institutional systems were built for traditional degree-seeking students, semester-based timelines, and rigid administrative processes.

What we’ll explore: 

Drawing on the latest market research from UPCEA and ListEdTech, we’ll explore trends such as the rise of best-of-breed technology ecosystems and the growing importance of interoperable platforms, and what these shifts mean for institutions investing in continuing education.

We’ll also look at how four institutions approached the challenge from different starting points:

  • Online Workforce College (OWC) built a dedicated CE system, strong employer partnerships, and a skills verification model through badges and accreditations, a blueprint that resonates strongly with community colleges scaling similar programs

  • UC Merced PACE redesigned the learner experience for professional learners, corporate clients, and community members while gaining visibility into career and workforce outcomes.

  • The University of Edinburgh connected short courses and professional programs across 25 schools onto a single platform, creating a scalable foundation for lifelong learning.

  • University of Illinois Springfield removed the need for working adults and state agency professionals to complete a full academic admissions process just to enroll in a professional development course.

Speaker

Mieke Ridderhof

CMO & Managing Director, NORAM, Drieam

Mieke has over a decade of experience in EdTech, working with higher education and continuing education institutions globally. She focuses on how institutions can use technology in a practical way to improve operations, support scalable program delivery, and enhance the learner experience.

Who should join?

This session is relevant for anyone in higher education working in or alongside lifelong learning, including continuing education directors, instructional designers, Canvas LMS administrators, online learning leaders, and institutional decision-makers.

You will walk away with:
  • A clearer picture of where lifelong learning is heading and what it means for your institution, drawing on the latest market insights from ListEdTech and UPCEA
  • Lessons from leading institutions on moving beyond traditional student systems to infrastructure that better supports working adults and non-traditional learners within the Canvas ecosystem.
  • Practical approaches to reducing enrollment friction and scaling programs without increasing workload
  • Ways to measure whether programs are delivering meaningful skills and career outcomes
  • Clear starting points you can apply whether you are just getting started or already scaling

The previous CRM forced non-traditional learners through a complex admissions funnel designed for full-time students. They often questioned the necessity of a full academic application when their goal was simply to enroll in a single professional development course. Emily Keener, Director, Continuing and Professional Education, University of Illinois, Springfield
 “ This is about more than efficiency, it’s about improving the student journey. From registration to course access, we want every step of the learner’s experience to be intuitive and immediate. With Eduframe, students are provisioned into Canvas right after registering, helping them get started without delay.

 Michael Pierick, Director of Strategic Initiatives at UC Merced PACE “ We wanted a standardised experience for our users so they could discover short courses on just one website, enrol and pay for a course and then access the content in a dedicated virtual learning environment. We also wanted them to be able to get some kind of accreditation like a digital badge on completion of the course Lauren Johnston-Smith Marketing Manager for Short Courses “

Meet Drieam at InstructureCon 2026!

JULY 21 – 23 | LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

This webinar is the first chapter. At InstructureCon in Louisville, we are going deeper. As an Instructure Certified Partner, Drieam will be on the exhibition floor at Booth #56 throughout the conference. On Thursday, July 23 at 3:25 PM EDT, join Mieke Ridderhof in Room M105/106 for “Building the Future of Continuing Education for Workforce Education, Lifelong Learning, and Learner Mobility”, or stop by the booth to continue the conversation.

Some of our partners

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