Hello and welcome to Certified Insights from your digital credential friends at Accredible. You’re in good company with 58K+ education and training leaders.
Each month, we share tips and strategies to help you grow your credentialing program. Up next:
💡 Skills-first is here — now what?
🧠 91% of employers look for digital credentials — so why do so few see them on applications?
📚 Workforce Almanac Data Portal, learner agency, and employer-aligned partnerships
Everyone says they want skills-first hiring. So why aren’t credentials changing how we hire?
More than 25 states have removed degree requirements for public sector jobs. The White House has launched a national talent strategy focused on skills. And employers are feeling the pressure: 77% of HR professionals report difficulty filling full-time roles, even as more than half of job descriptions still require a four-year degree — a credential two-thirds of working-age Americans don’t hold.
In 2025, it finally feels like the shift to skills-based hiring is real.
But for credentialing leaders, this moment also feels… unfinished. The labor market is evolving, but most hiring systems still treat credentials as digital attachments — not trusted, actionable data.
And that’s the shift we need to lead.
Momentum is building. But credentials can’t influence hiring decisions if they’re not visible or not structured in ways employers can use.
In UpSkill America’s interviews with HR leaders, one theme was constant: employers need to understand what a credential means, how it’s earned, and whether they can trust it. As one put it: “We need a magic decoder ring.”
That insight aligns with our upcoming 2025 State of Credentialing findings (register to receive it Sept. 17). While 68% of HR leaders say they’re confident interpreting digital credentials, even the best signals get lost without structure, verification, and visibility.
The takeaway? Employers don’t need more badges — they need better signals. That’s what turns credentials from artifacts into outcomes.
No single platform can solve credential visibility alone. The future depends on interoperability. Accredible is working with standards creators and ecosystem partners to ensure credentials can flow into applicant tracking systems (ATS) and HR platforms when those systems are ready — so they become visible, trusted, and actionable in hiring.
And more importantly, credentialing leaders already hold the tools to build trust at scale. That means:
As UpSkill America’s Haley Glover and Walmart.org’s Sean Murphy argue, skills-first can’t just be a hiring strategy — it must function as a system that connects learners, learning providers, and employers through a shared infrastructure.
Scott Cheney, CEO of Credential Engine, echoes this need for cross-system commitment: “Credential issuers are ramping up, but the ATS and HRIS companies need to make the investment and commitment. The scale is getting there, but the employer-side systems haven’t made the same advances yet.”
Credentialing professionals can’t fix every part of that system. But we can strengthen our signals, reduce employer friction, and equip learners to succeed.
We surveyed 500+ HR and recruiting leaders this year. Here’s what they told us:
Wendi Safstrom, President of the SHRM Foundation, sees this as part of a larger shift in how qualifications are evaluated:
“HR leaders increasingly recognize that skills and competencies are better indicators of job performance than traditional proxies like degrees. Digital credentials provide validated proof of capabilities — often backed by assessments, project work, or endorsements — giving employers a more nuanced and equitable way to identify top talent.”
Learners feel the impact, too
Michael DeWolfe, a Penn State student who earned multiple SIMnet badges from McGraw Hill, shared, “I have all my SIMnet badges on LinkedIn and my resume. In almost every interview, someone says, ‘Oh, I see these credentials on your resume. Can you talk a little bit more about that?’ I’m not just saying that I have Excel skills — I’m proving them through the badges.”
When credentials are visible, they spark conversation. When they’re trusted, they unlock opportunity.
But when employers don’t surface skills, learners can’t signal them. And when learners aren’t coached to showcase credentials, employers don’t see the data they need. Alignment breaks on both sides.
There’s growing consensus that skills-first hiring can expand access — especially for STARs, veterans, and learners from historically excluded backgrounds. But equity doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through design.
Credentialing leaders can drive that design by:
Wendi Safstrom underscores the challenge and the opportunity:
“Employers struggle with knowing where to start, often defaulting to degrees or years of experience because they’re easier to evaluate. A lack of standardized tools, fragmented frameworks, and persistent biases all make the skills-first transition harder. Overcoming these challenges requires sustained education, real-time feedback, and aligning hiring practices with long-term business goals — all while recognizing the reality of change fatigue inside organizations.”
Because no hiring manager says, “Show me your LER.” They say, “Can this person do the job? How do I know I can trust it?”
We need to answer those questions — in their language, not ours.
If skills are the currency of the future workforce, then credentials are the mint. Let’s design signals that work — not just in theory, but in practice.
Don’t miss this conversation
Join me and an incredible panel of leaders on September 17 for the 2025 State of Credentialing webinar. We’ll unpack new data from 500+ HR and talent leaders and nearly 200 credential issuers, share what employers are asking for, and explore how credentialing leaders like you can lead the next phase of skills-first transformation.
🎙️ Panelists include:
By registering, you’ll also be the first to receive the full report when it’s published. Grab your spot today →
Until next time,
Ryan
Senior Director @ Accredible
Branded graphic: 91% of HR and talent leaders actively look for digital credentials when reviewing candidates — yet only 46% regularly see them in applications. (2025 State of Credentialing)
👀 What would you ask our State of Credentialing panelists about this disconnect?
Reply to this email, and we may feature your question live.
The Workforce Almanac Data Portal — Project on Workforce at Harvard
Harvard’s Project on Workforce has updated and expanded its open-source directory of over 20,000 U.S. training providers, now including provider types, EINs, revenue, and expenses. A valuable tool for understanding the workforce training ecosystem and spotting gaps or potential partners.
Creating Agency for Young Adults, using Digital Badging — Holly Garner, Medium
Junior Achievement USA’s Holly Garner explores how digital badges can empower young adults to tell their own career stories. Rather than prescribing value, she argues that badges — especially those tied to career-connected learning — should serve as tools for learner agency, signaling real experience and aspiration.
How industry partnerships and digital credentials can close the skills gap — Times Higher Ed
Georgia Tech’s Veronica M. Godshalk and Siemens’ Janelle Simmonds explore how co-developed digital credentials can bridge the gap between education and employment. Their article highlights successful examples of higher ed–industry collaboration and calls for stronger standards, infrastructure, and employer awareness to make skills-based signaling work at scale.
2025 State of Credentialing Webinar — September 17
Employers are actively seeking proof of skills — but most say they rarely see it. Backed by data from 500+ HR leaders and 190+ credential issuers, this webinar reveals what’s really driving hiring decisions and how credentialing leaders can respond. Hear from LinkedIn, WIN Learning, and Accredible — and get early access to the full report before it goes public.
UPCEA Convergence 2025 — September 29–October 1, 2025
This future-focused gathering explores the intersection of credential innovation, employer collaboration, and learner mobility. Join leaders across higher ed, workforce, and corporate learning this fall in Washington, D.C.
Tired of juggling paper certificates, PDFs, and endless manual processes to track learner achievements?
Or running into scaling limitations with your current digital credentialing solution?
Accredible has you covered. Create and issue branded digital credentials that showcase skills and provide real value — without the hassle.
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Accredible is the world’s leading digital credential platform, enabling education and training leaders to increase learner engagement and drive program growth.
Accredible is the world’s leading digital credential platform, enabling education and training leaders to increase learner engagement and drive program growth.
