The journey of the champions

Over the last years, the role of technology in issuing, claiming, and verifying digital credentials has been decreasing — and so have the costs. It is now possible to use a range of free or low-cost platforms and easily become part of the ever-growing community of digital credential issuers without technical expertise. Governments are also funding the promising opportunities of verifiable credential ecosystems. Yet it has become clear that successful adoption of badges and credentials is not a matter of technology, costs, or regulations: it depends on the champions who go above and beyond their role to create ecosystems of informal, non-formal, and formal recognition.

These champions — sometimes called intrapreneurs — follow a vision bigger than the tasks they are assigned at their workplace. They understand that building ecosystems with organizational, governmental, and educational stakeholders is key to scaling their programs — be it for internal mobility, increased engagement, or leveraging the growing gig economy. At ICoBC, we think such champions are a true source of inspiration, and that by supporting them in scaling their network, the entire community benefits. This is what we aimed for with the Symposium 2022.

The 2nd ICoBC Symposium featured some of the champions of the field and their visions and practices. It was a focused discussion and workshop on the journeys of those starting and establishing digital credential and badge programs. Covering success stories and obstacles alike, we realized that many share the same situations — and that they can be overcome.

Skill-based hiring

Elena Magrini (Lightcast) opened with a talk on the importance of a skills-based interface between corporates and the education sector, aligning their needs for a more efficient labour market.

Setting the scene: Quo vadis?

Jan Renz (German Bildungsplattform) and Matthias De Bièvre (French Visions platform) reported on building national ecosystems that integrate education providers, employers, and end users seamlessly. Key aspects: a shared data space, (self-sovereign) identity management, and infrastructure that lets all players participate easily and openly.

Examples of successful practice

Esther Grieder (Humanitarian Leadership Academy) presented HPass, integrating learning providers and users to offer skills recognition through digital badges. Key learnings: start small, enable users to build a portfolio, communicate for your audience, and find your champions.

Dominic Orr (atingi / GIZ) outlined the launch of the atingi platform: the distinction between formal and non-formal education matters less than actual recognition of competencies, yet credentialing formal courses remains easier than recognizing non-formal learning. Endorsements are one way to build quality assurance and trust.

Brian Mulligan (Atlantic Technological University) described micro-credentialing in higher education: slow progress, difficult integration into IT infrastructure, missing agreement on what a micro-credential is (including its minimum size) and how to approve it, and a lack of unbundling and recognition of smaller units as entry qualifications.

Empowering the champions

Anna Aslanova emphasized understanding the value system behind a champion’s journey — which is less about leadership and more about empowering other champions.

Learning Cafés

Two rounds of Learning Café, facilitated by Jan Muehlig (BadgEurope / relevantive) and Rolf Reinhardt, invited participants at five tables to share their journeys and find common patterns. Among the insights:

• A credentialing roll-out is a communication challenge.
• Look beyond your own bubble: credentials mean different things to different people.
• Champions are less about presenting and more about connecting.