Verifiable Credentials to Expand Educational and Workforce Opportunities

There is a world where digitally verified, guaranteed credentials are the norm.

FREMONT, CA: There exists a world where digitally confirmed, guaranteed credentials are the norm.

Students may quickly transfer their credits from a community college to a four-year institution in this ideal environment. Hundreds of students face the prospect of receiving relevant credits from a previous institution each year.

This credentialing could assist job hopefuls in providing digitally verifiable evidence of their qualifications for the positions they are applying for after students enter the workforce. On the other hand, employers would be certain that job seekers under consideration possess the abilities necessary to meet position requirements. The technology should reduce bias against underrepresented groups, allowing for a more egalitarian future.

This era may be decades away, but it may happen sooner if companies, job seekers, educational institutions, students, and government organizations demand such guarantees.

The technology to make this imaginable reality digital, verifiable credentials exists today in the form of digital, verifiable credentials. Verifiable credentials could be a certificate of job training completion, a high school or college graduation, a driver's license, a passport, or personal health data—any essential document or collection of documents relating to an individual's identity.

These papers can be protected in the digital realm using a decentralized identity. Cryptography and public keys protect the confidentiality of the information until the owner decides to release it.

For instance, the U.S. Department of Education initiated a program in 2020 to investigate the use of blockchain technology to offer individuals safe access to their educational data, such as certificates and transcripts.

By introducing the usage of verifiable credentials into society, disadvantaged populations across the country would be among the first to benefit. A combination of factors, including lack of financial means, underfunded K-12 school districts, and food poverty, make it more difficult for these individuals to obtain bachelor's degrees from four-year schools and universities.

But a verifiable certificate system would also assist any American for whom college isn't the right option—possibly due to their learning style—to reveal their unique talents.

They could acquire the necessary skills for a certain job through alternative training programs instead of college. With verified credentials, these alternative routes would command the same respect and authority as a bachelor's degree since employers would know without a doubt that the individual in issue acquired the required training properly.

The meaning of four-year degrees is ambiguous, although they have become a national indicator of accomplishment. Individuals cannot determine their true skill set until they begin a new career. A system of credentials that can be verified would eliminate such doubt. The education system can be broken down into skill sets and competencies.

Even inside higher education institutions, the University of Maine System displays the effectiveness of this strategy. Its certified micro-credential program helps students to earn competency in skills that today’s workforce demands.

Cybersecurity is only one industry where all parties would benefit from a credential verification system. The technical expertise has less to do with an Ivy League education or decades of experience. A person who can perform the job can do the job; verified credentials demonstrate whether the talents exist or not.

Recruiters across the economic spectrum would also benefit, as they could instantly discover a pool of qualified prospects.

The local, regional, state and national economies would also benefit. As collaborations between community colleges and economic-development organizations, workforce training programs would flourish naturally, quickly filling job openings that improve a town's overall health and vitality. An employment pipeline would result, thereby retaining local talent.

In another manner, verifiable credentials save time and money. Each individual possesses their qualifications. Employers are no longer required to spend money validating the integrity of a candidate's application or résumé. It also eliminates the need for human work to locate a student's college transcripts, resulting in cost savings for both the institution and the graduate.

Verifiable credentials could include self-describing data sets indicating if coursework met the criteria for credit transfer. Community colleges would benefit financially from such a system, providing irrefutable evidence that students completed their degrees, allowing them to collect the cash associated with fulfilling specified graduation rate benchmarks.

A company could expose skilled people to horizontal career routes using verified credential software. Those new perspective directions are likely ones that would not have occurred to the individual without the software.