As the skills gap in our workplaces increase, this has become a growing issue for organizations of all types and sizes. Skills such as communication, leadership and critical thinking are considered key gaps, and according to an ADT survey, 72% of talent development professionals expect this challenge to grow.
Technological advances and economic forces continue to reshape the employment environment. The gap between educational achievement and employment preparedness creates some concerns for a company’s hiring process.
In a study done by McKinsey Global Survey, 87% of executives said they faced a skills gap in their workforce, but less than half knew how to address the problem. Micro-credentialing and badging provide an objective and verifiable solution for closing this gap and is one tool all organizations can use to build and demonstrate the skill sets we will need to succeed in the future of work.
Understanding Digital Badges
Digital badges are micro-credentials that serve as a mechanism for assessing, recognizing and verifying an individual’s skill, learning or achievement. When a learner completes a course, passes an assessment and earns a digital badge- a badge issuing vendor embeds that skill set that was learned into what is referred to as a badge wallet for that learner. These open badges serve as a digital resume that can be displayed on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets.
Digital credentialing is becoming a key differentiator for organizations that care about the employee experience and want to be viewed as employers of choice. The ability to attract, hire and engage a skilled workforce is, in part, based on a company’s ability to demonstrate its commitment to its workforce. In turn, digital badges are a powerful way to offer continual opportunities for
career development and recognition of new skills that are valued in the market.
As educational degrees and industry certifications recognize point-in-time achievements, digital badges enable employees with and without those credentials to have proof of continual learning that is relevant to them and to their organizations. What’s more, digital badges mark progress and highlight achievements that can be celebrated by peers and managers, in turn encouraging employees to continue on their learning paths.
A 2017 internal IBM survey showed that digital badges positively impacted every area the company measured. Digital badge issuers agreed that these
badges motivate employees as student enrollments increased by 129% and the percentage of enrollees who actually completed courses increased by 226%, this track record led to triple growth in metrics due to online learning. As a result, IBM “now issues badges for employees, clients, students and partners.”
When digital badges were first introduced, they were positioned as a potential substitute for a college degree. Over time, they have been expanded to serve individuals both with and without degrees. When badges are successfully earned and accurately issued, they can become highly beneficial to both employees and employers, but badge issuers must have a defined process in place that ensures badge holders adequately demonstrate the on-the-job competencies that the badge is intended to represent. Badges are not awarded for attending sessions, rather for completing acceptable levels of standards in a series of activities.
Digital badging offers the possibility of providing a seamless pathway for job seekers to earn resume-worthy credentials they can carry with them into the workforce. As we move forward into a digital world, traditional learning is evolving into a more holistic, skill-oriented, and transportable dynamic and digital badges are a key sign of that.
With the sort of digital advancements we are seeing today, it is becoming very clear that there will be a growing number of organizations outside academia and tech industries issuing digital badges. This sort of development is an excellent opportunity to support lifelong learning and no matter where organizations currently stand on this subject, digital badging should be on everyone’s radar.
