In an ever-evolving work environment, the recognition of professional skills and achievements has taken a significant turn. Since always, academic certificates have been the means to record this, but with the evolution that has been seen thanks to digitalization and continuous learning, new forms of accreditation have emerged, for such a case as digital credentials. That is why a few days ago I enrolled and concluded the course on Digital Credentials at AcademiaBID, where I learned a little more about this interesting topic and I would like to share with you what I learned.

Currently, we can classify credentials into three large groups:

• • Traditional credentials: those university degrees, diplomas and certifications that educational institutions or regulatory entities recognize as valid.
• • Digital credentials: These are electronic representations of skills, knowledge or achievements that a person has acquired. They are verifiable, secure and can be easily shared on social networks, professional portfolios and work platforms. Within these credentials we can find:
• • Digital certificates: They are certificates that serve to validate courses and extensive educational programs, these use blockchain technology and the Open Badges 3.0 standard, which ensures their integrity, authenticity and be stored on digital platforms.

Example of a digital certificate

        Source: https://www.verifyed.io/blog/digital-certificates-a-comprehensive-guide

• • Digital Badges: they are digital graphic representations of specific competencies, knowledge and achievements. They are most common for short-term training programs and corporate educational environments.
• • Open badges: They are a type of digital badge that follows open validation standards, which allows its portability between different platforms and organizations. Each badge contains metadata that includes information about the acquired competence, the issuing institution and the date of issuance. Professionals can store them in digital backpacks such as Open Badge Passport or share them on platforms such as LinkedIn and electronic portfolios, facilitating their verification in real time and their portability between different work environments.
• • Micro-credentials: these are specialized credentials that allow professionals to demonstrate specific skills without having to pursue lengthy programs of study.

Benefits of digital badges

The use of digital badges offers multiple advantages for both professionals and organizations:

• • Ease of verification: each badge contains verifiable metadata that guarantees the authenticity of the credential and information about the acquired competence.
• • Increased professional visibility: professionals can share our badges on digital platforms such as LinkedIn, electronic portfolios and social networks, valuing our presence in the labor market
• • Accessibility and portability: being digital, the badges can be stored in digital backpacks and used on different platforms without restrictions.
• • Recognition of skills and learning: digital badges allow you to demonstrate many specific skills, thus facilitating professional development.
• • Promotion of continuous learning: encourages continuing education by providing recognition as new skills and/or capabilities are acquired.

In short, the recognition of skills and competencies is evolving in a more dynamic and accessible direction, allowing talent to be identified and promoted without relying exclusively on traditional academic certifications. This helps to design learning trajectories based on individual and organizational needs. Therefore,  human resource management departments should consider these new forms of accreditation to encourage professional development.

For some years now at CIAT we have been implementing certificates in digital format with electronic signature and in our commitment to offer services that adapt to market demands. This  2025 year, we will implement the use of digital badges in EduCIAT that will allow competencies, knowledge and skills to be recognized in different sectors, platforms and countries.