Employers point to a large and growing "skills gap," saying thousands of jobs are already going unfilled because applicants lack the skills and knowledge they need. Forecasters say that, by the end of this decade, two-thirds of all jobs will require some form of high-quality postsecondary credential such as a degree or certificate. The higher education system must find innovative ways to help millions more students--all types of students, from all backgrounds, in all life situations--earn college credentials more quickly and more affordably. Just as important: the system must make sure that those credentials are genuinely valuable, that they point directly to rigorous and relevant learning, that they represent the knowledge and skills that graduates need to thrive--in their careers and their lives. In short, higher education needs to move rapidly but wisely, with pace and purpose. This issue of "Lumina Foundation Focus" throws the spotlight on three innovative programs that are doing just that--accelerated courses of study that are helping students earn highly valuable associate degrees more quickly than ever before. This "Focus" presents: (1) Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) in Brooklyn, N.Y. In P-TECH, students begin in ninth grade and--thanks to peer learning and other innovations, including ongoing mentorship from professionals at IBM Corp.--earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree in as little as four years; (2) The Associate Accelerated Program (ASAP) at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis. ASAP, which will soon expand to all Ivy Tech campuses in Indiana, uses block scheduling and an intensive approach to help at-risk students earn "two-year" degrees in just 11 months; and (3) The Accelerated Higher Education Associate Degree (AHEAD) program at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tenn. AHEAD features compressed, sequenced courses and extensive, cohort-based peer support--all to enable full-time, working adults to be full-time students as well.