Appendix

The 2025 State of Credentialing is based on two original online surveys fielded in spring 2025 by Mantis Research in partnership with Accredible.

• Credential issuers (n=175): Education and training leaders at organizations that issue digital certificates and/or badges as part of learning or certification programs. Recruited via Accredible, select partners (including 1EdTech and the Arizona Private School Association), and an independent panel.
• HR & talent leaders (n=502): In‑house HR and talent professionals and recruiting‑firm leaders involved in hiring decisions. Screened to ensure they participate in at least one of: defining hiring criteria or evaluating candidate quality; overseeing hiring processes/systems; directly sourcing or screening candidates.

Key definitions

• Digital credentials: Verifiable digital certificates and/or badges issued for learning or achieving certification requirements.
• Successful issuers: Subset defined via a composite maturity/impact index described in Successful issuers play differently (see that section for criteria). All “successful vs. others” comparisons use this definition.

Data notes

• Some questions included an “I’m not sure” option. Unless otherwise specified, these responses were excluded and percentages recalculated.
• “Other (please specify)” write‑ins were excluded from visuals unless a clearly repeated theme warranted separate categorization or mention.

Credential issuers surveyed

HR & recruiting leaders surveyed