The year was 2011 and Mozilla Foundation introduced the concept of “Open Badge” to the world. The concept was to get a visual picture of the skills and competencies of the learner. The badges came with verifiable metadata that allowed the concerned party, read – employers to get a second check on the skills a candidate mentions. Seven years after that happened, these badges are pretty much a commonplace. If you look at 10 to 20 years in the future, how much water will the conventional forms of learning hold?

• The businesses today are going global and digitized means of communication topples every other pathway to connect.
• Candidates need to stay updated and need credentials to showcase skills learnt on-the-job.
• Processes are moving towards high transparency, the skills mentioned in your resume need a verifiable source.

These pointers call for a change in the way we all see learning today in its conventional form. The very entry of digital badges in education will change the game here. 2016, saw the Badging Alliance becoming a part of IMS Global Learning Consortium. The coming decades will see open badges as an evolved ecosystem.

Think Beyond the Classroom

Learning today goes beyond the classroom. You graduate and join job – what about on-the job learning? Every professional worth their salt will vouch for the fact that years in job are a huge learning experience. But, these skills remain just a mention on your resume. Digital badges takes learning beyond those classroom hours. The badges are stackable and upgradable. The Metadata gives a full disclosure of the skills with specific proficiency in it.

Skill Learning is the Future

So, will traditional college degrees lose all their meaning in the coming decades? The answer is no, college degrees will hold ground even in 2026. However, employers now know and recognize alternate learning avenues. Also, with businesses going global, recruitment and onboarding is bound to go full blast on digital. Digital badges, here score a good brownie point over traditional certificates. One click and employers see the skills in their verifiable format. Also, the very premise of digital badges higher education is based on flexi-learning. It does not put additional burden on student loans and you do not need to go back to school.

Employers today believe that a decent serving of digital and verified detailed portfolio of candidates along with traditional education transcripts is what a perfect employee looks like.

Transparent and Verifiable

With the communication going transparent, digital badges are pretty much the popular choice for learners, institutions and employers. The badges allow you to create a detailed and precise portfolio of your skills. Once the employers goes through the Metadata, there are relevant contact details for a detailed re-confirmation. As the business go global, it creates an equal opportunity platform for all the candidates irrespective of their location and zip code.

Skills create the best impressions and these badges are all about it. Be it job, internship or that much awaited promotion, these badges allow you to showcase a complete professional portfolio.