Unlocking UK Learner Mobility

In today’s fast-paced global economy, earning a degree is a good foundation but many employers want proof of practical skills from day one. Yet, the established systems of credentials are slow to evolve, making it difficult for individuals entering the workforce, especially those looking for opportunities abroad, to effectively showcase their capabilities. 

More employers are beginning to recognise the value of digital credentials, particularly those that include endorsements, evidentiary links, and structured skills data. And universities are recognising the need for change, offering more flexible learning options that better reflect what today’s students want and need.

Current methods like CVs and transcripts don’t offer the detail employers need to assess specific skills, especially those gained through non-traditional pathways or different education systems. This disconnect can lead to employers missing out on valuable talent because there is no shared language for skills and credentials. The current learning landscape adds to the complexity; micro-credentials, bootcamps, apprenticeships, and short courses provide essential skills, but their value is difficult for employers to recognise or compare against traditional degrees within existing frameworks. This makes the hiring process frustrating for both job seekers and those responsible for hiring.

The Promise of Open Digital Credentials

The solution lies in digital credentials built on open standards like 1EdTech Open Badges 3.0. and Verifiable Credentials. These aren’t just digital versions of paper certificates; they are secure, verifiable, and rich with data about specific achievements and skills. Think of them as portable, dynamic badges that carry information about learning, assessment, issuer, and linked skills data.

Forward-thinking employers are starting to embrace the value of these credentials, especially those that include evidence of learning and detailed skills data. Some are even issuing their own credentials for on-the-job learning, influencing HR and talent systems towards progression routes. However, integrating with legacy systems remains challenging.

Open standards are crucial to making this work. They allow credentials to be issued, shared, and verified across different platforms, avoiding the creation of new silos. Decentralised technologies, like digital wallets, also play a vital role. They give learners ownership of their verified skills data, allowing them to independently manage and share their professional identity, and to showcase their full range of skills throughout their careers, no matter when, where or how those skills were acquired.

How Do These Work in Practice?

Imagine a UK candidate applying for a job in another country. Instead of navigating the complex process of explaining how UK qualifications translate to that country’s system, the employer receives verifiable digital badges. Each badge represents a specific qualification, micro-credential, or skill, built on internationally recognised open standards.

Thanks to digital badges, the employer can verify authenticity and detailed information about skills covered, learning outcomes, and supporting evidence. This level of transparency and trust is often missing with paper documents, especially for international qualifications. 

This system would allow employers to assess candidates based on verifiable skills, regardless of where learning occurred. It’s particularly powerful for UK candidates who may lack a traditional work history but possess practical, demonstrable skills. Digital credentials provide a clear, centralised, record of an individual’s learning journey capturing both standard and non-traditional achievements in a format that’s easy to access, understand, and trust.

The Urgency for a Unified Framework

While the advantages of open digital credentials and the enabling technologies are clear, achieving widespread adoption across the UK remains a challenge. Navigating multiple existing standards, ensuring interoperability, and improving understanding among institutions and employers are key areas to address to fully realise the practical benefits of an open badging system. Industry leaders, such as Instructure, are already paving the way with innovative solutions, but a well-defined national framework would bring much-needed clarity and drive adoption at scale.

To unlock the full potential of digital credentials, and enable smoother career progression, stronger employer confidence and enhanced economic competitiveness, the UK needs its own clear strategy. This strategy should support a common approach for displaying micro-credentials and short qualifications using open standards allowing individuals to more easily display their skills, and employers to accurately interpret and trust diverse qualifications. A national system like this would form the backbone of a more agile, transparent, and efficient UK labour market.

The Time for a Robust Skills System is Now

The technology and standards needed to transform the UK’s skills landscape already exist. What’s needed now is focus on building a more transparent, efficient and trustworthy skills system that supports national-scale interoperability and fosters confidence in skills recognition.

By acting now, the UK can dismantle long-standing barriers to talent mobility, bring greater clarity and fluidity to the labour market, and ensure every individual’s skills are visible, valued, and verifiable, regardless of where they were acquired. This is how we can build a future-ready workforce equipped to meet global challenges. 

By Stephan Fortier, Regional VP UK and Europe at Instructure, the makers of Canvas