Digital credentials promise to make skills easier to prove, harder to fake and quicker to share. But old habits die hard. What’s holding things back? And how can open-source platforms help? Sergiy Movchan digs into the perks, pitfalls and practicalities of swapping paper for a smarter way to record achievements
In the past, printed certificates were considered the gold standard of credentials, with learners waiting weeks to receive physical proof of education, completed courses or training. Losing one of these documents, especially after several years, was frustrating and often impossible to recover. Today, credentials such as a university degree, a training programme, or a micro-course can take the form of digital credentials, which offer both security and versatility.
Learners, institutions and employers require secure methods of sharing qualifications, and that’s the role of digital credentials
When we talk about authenticity and fraud prevention, it is worth honestly admitting that traditional certificates are a legacy of the past and no longer relevant today. The world has become global, and education is increasingly shifting to a digital format. Learners, institutions and employers require secure, verifiable methods of confirming and sharing skills and qualifications, and that’s the role of digital credentials.
To quote Rodney Jones and Christoph Hafner from their book Understanding Digital Credentials: “In an increasingly global labour market and internationalised education systems, the rising mobility of people and jobs significantly impacts how skills and qualifications are recognised, validated and accredited across borders.”
Secure, portable and ready to share
Digital credentials refer to any electronic records that confirm educational achievements or skills and can be verified. They are essentially digital versions of those certificates we usually frame and hang on the wall, with the key differences being that they are secure, portable and ready to share.
Digital credentials are inextricably linked to the future of education. As learning becomes increasingly electronic and the workforce becomes more global, traditional paper certificates cease to fulfil their role. Verifying a physical diploma in another country, especially one where it wasn’t issued, can cause difficulties. These include time delays and the risk of fraud. This is where digital credentials stand out: they offer built-in safeguards, such as blockchain technology. Employers or institutions can easily verify the authenticity of such a diploma and confirm its origin.
Platforms that use blockchain or other cryptographic methods allow users to receive secure, verifiable digital credentials. These tools certify authenticity and protect against tampering. When a university or training provider issues a credential, it gets a unique digital signature. That signature links to a secure registry. Any forgery attempt becomes visible. Even if the issuing institution shuts down, the credential remains valid and verifiable.
Benefits of digital credentials
The benefits of supporting digital credentials extend beyond simply replacing paper documents. The primary benefit for everyone – including institutions, learners, employers and course owners offering continuing education – is that learners can easily carry their records across borders or between jobs. This reduces administrative overheads. What’s more, these credentials support flexible learning formats, such as short courses or modular programmes, while encouraging continuous skill development over time.
Some of the core benefits include:
- Easy verification by employers or academic institutions.
- Portability for learners to use globally.
- Security against fraud through blockchain-based validation.
- Flexibility for offering or collecting micro-credentials.
- Privacy control over how and when credentials are shared.
- Support for lifelong learning through stackable achievements.
The role of open-source learning platforms
As digital credentials gain traction, open-source platforms are becoming central to implementation efforts. Platforms such as Open edX, Canvas and ILIAS offer institutions a customisable framework to embed digital credentialing features directly into their learning systems.
Open architecture gives universities and training providers the ability to adapt credentialing workflows to match local regulations, learner needs and evolving digital standards. Good platforms integrate with digital wallets and badge providers and comply with credentialing standards like DCC/W3C and the EU digital wallet model.
Among the advantages offered by such open-source platforms, it is also worth mentioning the equally important integration with credentialing services, such as Credly. All these updates together provide an ecosystem that can fully support the transition to digital credentials.
A system built for the future
Traditional certificates had their time. They sat in frames, tucked in folders – silent proof of hard-earned accomplishments. Today, we need something more agile and secure. Digital credentials answer that call. They make it easier to recognise knowledge across schools, employers and borders.
Over the next decade, these credentials are expected to become the global norm. Imagine carrying your verified skills in your pocket, ready to share with a university, a job application or a client across the globe.
Learners will collect micro-credentials over time, building flexible portfolios that reflect real growth. Modular degrees and continuous learning will take the place of rigid programmes and paper-based proof.
That vision, however, still faces a few hurdles. Many institutions and employers are just beginning to adjust. Shared standards, technical setup and long-term trust in digital systems are still being shaped.
There’s a clear path forward. By adopting digital credentials and using flexible, open-source platforms to support them, schools and training providers can lead the shift. The sooner they prepare, the sooner they’ll be ready to offer value, trust and accessibility in a world that’s learning to learn differently.
Sergiy Movchan is co-founder of Raccoon Gang
