Micro-Credentialing and Digital Badges: Recognizing and Validating Skill Achievements

Credentialing learners has long been part of the learning and development workflow as companies require clear documentation of a team member’s skills. From a compliance point of view, providing credentials serves the company in a business-critical purpose and ensures that companies can maintain industry-wide regulations and requirements.

However, there has been a shift in learning directives in the last few years. Learners are now at the center of training and skill development, specifically credentialing, and it is all about the learner’s success. Once, companies invested in training programs primarily to serve business objectives like making the team more competitive or ensuring productivity. While those are still part of the training process, they are no longer the entire point. Companies are becoming more employee-centric and looking for ways to engage team members and build their skills.

Micro-credentialing and digital badges are two training tools that companies can use to boost learner engagement in training and facilitate an employee-centric, skills-driven learning and development program.

What is micro-credentialing?

Micro-credentialing is a process of awarding small, focused credentials or certifications that validate specific skills and knowledge individuals acquire. It’s a newer approach to corporate training that focuses on developing job-specific skills. Historically, companies have provided credentials or certifications after lengthier compliance courses encompassing various skills. But micro-credentialing exists in contrast to these corporate learning programs: It’s shorter, more targeted, and focuses on a single skill rather than a group of skills.

What are digital badges?

Digital badges indicate a learner’s achievements, skills, or competencies earned through a training program. Digital badges have two functions: to validate a learner’s skills and to motivate the learner. Within a training platform, a digital badge is showcased on the learner’s profile so other team members can view and verify a learner’s skills. Companies can create digital badges that align with corporate values or initiatives. This way, badges serve both as a skills verification tool and a way to engage team members with the company culture.

Benefits of digital badges in an LMS

Badges for Skills Verification

Like certifications, digital badges can be shared outside of the platform as well, like on a learner’s profile on networking sites, in the signature of an email, or elsewhere. Digital badges earned through a learning and development program contain information about the issuer, the courses completed to earn the badge, and an indication of the assessment taken to prove the learner’s competencies and to ensure transparency and trust in the skills-verification process.

Gamification in learning

Gamification LMS in learning can motivate learners to engage and invest in company programs. Learners who work through training, acquire new skills, and earn badges may feel a sense of achievement. The more badges and micro-credentials a learner acquires, the more confident they will feel in their proficiencies. Because digital badges are visible to others within the learning ecosystem, they incentivize other learners to participate in training and earn their badges to showcase their skills.

How to enhance the learner experience

Micro-credentialing and digital badges can improve the learning experience for every stakeholder on the team, from employees and sales personnel to partners and customers. As companies look to upskill and reskill their workforce, they must prioritize the learning experience. The key is to make learning a valuable experience that the learners can participate in and leave with a measurable, useful skill.

Motivate learners to grow.

Micro-credentialing and digital badges are two ways to improve the learning experience because it show the learner a clear result of their training efforts. First, by providing credentials at a granular level and within the context of specific training units, companies can keep learners motivated as they acquire new skills. Each skill, no matter how small, is validated and added to the learner’s portfolio to indicate their competencies. Building a portfolio of highly specialized, vetted skills enables the learner to grow in their career and move toward their goals.

Clarify learning objectives.

Creating an engaging learning experience is only the first part of enhancing a corporate learning and development program. To truly drive impact, companies must provide clarity about learning objectives and set clear pathways for growth. Micro-credentials and digital badges clarify learning needs so that training managers—and learners themselves—can identify gaps in knowledge or skills and adjust accordingly. Micro-credentials reveal granular-level insights about needs within the training programs so that companies can make more courses available to address learning gaps.

Offer autonomy.

Micro-credentialing and digital badges provide learners with clarity about their skills to determine how they need to grow. Learners can set personalized goals and determine the learning pathways that make the most sense for their current roles and the roles they wish to acquire. Learners are more independent than ever before. They work remotely or on hybrid schedules and use technology to support everyday work. They expect a certain degree of autonomy so that they can learn in the flow of work. By offering autonomy and letting learners identify how and when they’d like to grow, companies can boost learner engagement in training and enhance the overall learning experience.

Creating a skills-driven program with learners at the center

A competitive talent marketplace like the one we are witnessing today requires companies to put learners at the center of the training process. Learning and development should be a valuable addition to the learner’s work experience, motivating them to continue to grow and advance in their careers. Skills-driven programs keep learners engaged with work and provide them with tangible results from their training efforts. Even further, micro-credentialing and digital badges provide indicators of a learner’s progress.

With ExpertusONE’s integrated learning management software, companies can motivate learners and provide opportunities to grow their skills and advance in their careers. It’s one platform where every facet of the learning experience can be managed. This way, companies can provide a unified training experience to every learner. And learners can walk away from training having acquired something valuable: a new skill.

Interested to learn more about ExpertusONE’s integrated learning platform? Contact us today for a free demo.