What are digital credentials and where are digital credentails used in 2024?

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 C𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀?

A Quick Overview

We are rapidly shifting to a digital world where everything is online. This virtual world has a list of advantages that people or organizations adopting it explicitly experience. The certification process is also a part of the ongoing digitalization. For ages, people indulged in dubious certification practices such as credentials forgery. Another common issue people often face with paper certificates is the risk of losing them. To address such issues, digital certificates and badges have become the new norm.

We all hold several credentials (not only in the form of academic certificates but also passports, driving licenses, security documents, and many more). Keeping all of these in a safe and secure place all the time can be chaotic sometimes. Online courses are also in high demand recently, so delivering physical credentials to students unnecessarily costs the entire system. When safety, efficiency, and ease are questioned, there is nothing better than online credentials.
Digital certificates mainly address the question of certificate authentication and verification. These credentials reduce the gap between the day of course completion and the actual day on which awardees receive the certificates. The seamless digital credentialing process enables same-day certification. What can be more exhilarating than receiving certificates on the day the course gets over?

Verifiable Credentials are not only for awarding course certificates; they are also perfect for storing and securing government or organizational information.
As a lengthy discussion on digital certificates is already ongoing, let’s find out the definition of digital credentials for more insights:
The digital credential is the digital equivalent of paper-based certificates. When an institution honors a student/applicant for their efforts in achieving a degree or completing a program, the certificate they receive comes via a digital mode following a digital certification process.
The digital certificates contain minute details that earlier weren’t possible to include in paper certificates. The QR/BARcode in the certificate unlocks information about the competency of the awardee. The skills the student possessed to be a part of the program or the skills they have developed during the course, all these details remain locked in the code. Simply scanning it uncovers information that a potential employer or institution seeks.
Both digital badges and digital certificates fall under this category. The primary difference between a digital badge and a digital certificate is its way of representation. However, per common belief or academic structure, digital badges are awarded to recognize step-by-step development, whereas digital certificates are for completion.

Why Digital Credentials Became the Talk of the Town?

We all were awarding, claiming, and using paper certificates to exhibit our talent and authenticity. Then what shifted the attention to LinkedIn shareable certificates & badges?
Though paper certificates were traditionally popular and accepted, their issues troubled everyone. From altering the details inside a certificate to the presentation of fraud certificates, the problems were endless. There is also no way to detect whether any information falsification happened.
The problem escalates when organizations hire forged certificate holders as their employees. It not only risks the reputation of the institution but can threaten other innocents as well. Doctors, nurses, lawyers, police, workers, or anyone can pose a significant threat to society by modifying the authentic details.
There are several such incidents reported in every corner of the globe:

• In India, Anilkumar, an administrative assistant in the superintendent’s office at MCH, forged the birth certificate for a six-month-old girl who a Tripunithura-based couple was illegally raising.
• Another recent incident in India reports the forgery of certificates by 2 nurses for promotion.Something similar happened in the USA in 2023 as well. 43 Nigerian nurses were barred from nursing practice by the USA law.
• A 2022 news article states how a Telangana student forged a certificate for a US student visa.
• A conman in the UK was sentenced to jail for selling fake certifications.
• Even the number of fake vaccination certificates is on the rise in Germany.
  

Sharing PDFs does not offer any protection from certificate forgery. Altering PDF information is also possible and straightforward, even for novices. You will come across an unprecedented number of fake certification cases all over the internet. Some are reported, while most go unnoticed and unreported. It poses a severe problem in the real world in real-time. Digital credentials can be the safest and ideal answer to this issue. The rise of online courses and awareness among people or organizations make online certificates mainstream. The ease of verifying the details and popularity of skill-based hiring make digital credentials software beneficial.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 are the benefits 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 C𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 & Open Badges?

Digital credentials help in certification automation, reducing the time, effort, and cost of certificate issuing and management.
Quickly Verifiable
Digital credentials are easily verifiable and can be tagged to identities like passports. The verification source (QR/BARcode) is readily available and eliminates the lengthy period of verification associated with paper certificates. Just scanning the code unleashes all the essential information that reveals the course/program details. It includes details on the qualification the awardee holds to be qualified for the program, how they have performed, the skills the student has acquired, and the jobs for which they are qualified.
All this crucial information is available a click away on the same day or in a day or two since the course completion changes the certification process. It streamlines the complete program and expedites the hiring process.

Automated
The manual certification process is lengthy, labour-intensive, and prone to errors. Digital certification addresses this issue to a great extent. The ease of integrating the digital credentials software in the current LMSs saves hours of manual labour.
A course provider might take nearly three to four months to provide certificates to all students. The higher the number of awardees, the longer the delay is.
However, automation of the certification procedure streamlines the system that minimizes the timeframe required for certificate delivery.
Students receive mail from the organization containing the certificates and can download, print, or share them on social media. Digital credentials are elementary to share across email, social media, or messaging platforms with a click.

Affordable
There is no denying that verifiable certificates reduce the financial investment of organizations. From minimized staff requirements to saving costs on papers, the seamless system is one of the most efficient and effective processes that an institute can invest in.

Improves Brand Visibility of your Programs and Events
It might not be something that organizations put much thought into while issuing certificates, but digital certificates hold great value for marketing. Digital credentialing platforms offer rebranding and white-labeling features that allow complete control over the certificate navbar, header, and footer. Thus, the certificate never seems like a third party issuing it. Instead, it only tells a story of the organization/institution.

Reputation
Shifting from regular, traditional paper certificates to online badges & certificates exudes a positive brand image. It helps organizations establish an authentic online and offline brand presence.

Easy to Carry
It’s common for people to forget to carry their paper certificates in important meetings, interviews, or appointments. Digital certificates eliminate the need for credentials as they remain electronic and are easily accessible from anywhere using a phone/laptop. The portability and ease of verification make verifiable badges popular among awardees.

Data Privacy
The certificate details are not accessible to anyone. Only a person with authorization has permission to obtain the information inside. The verifier can only access the details when the awardee allows them.

Authentic Record Keeping
Any skills students gain from attending a course, session, or program remain locked in the certificate for a lifetime. The job portal integration facility is also a great feature that enables awardees to explore how suitable the job market is for them and the open positions associated with the skills/course.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆?

The use of digital credentials is on the rise. There are endless examples where digital credentials play a critical role today, including diplomas and certificates issued by education providers, being awarded for gaining a personal or professional skill, participatory certificates issued in conferences and workshops, awards and recognition programs, speaker recognition badges for conferences and seminars, proof of membership for any organization/community, Deleage entry passes for stage shows and other events, HR letters like a certificate of internship, proof of vaccination, for example, COVID19 vaccinated, social badges used in support/ create awareness of social issues example gender equality, etc.
CertifyMe is an end-to-end solution for creating, issuing, and managing Digital Credentials. Using our White Labeled solutions, we can help you establish a substantial brand value. Your credentials come with a dedicated system that ensures a high level of security & customizability. Transform your credentialing process to let the students showcase their experience and achievements.