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Meaningful information in CTDL for the full chain of credential value

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The credential landscape is diverse and confusing

Quality Assurance (QA)

Competencies

Over 1 million education and training credentials are offered in the U.S. alone, millions more globally, including degrees, qualifications, certificates, badges, micro-credentials, licenses, certifications, apprenticeships, diplomas, and more
Credentials often do not include transparent information about what they represent
Educators, employers, and learners/workers struggle to understand credentials’ meaning, value, and relevance in specific contexts

We all know that the number and types of credentials and credential issuers are growing faster than our ability to make sense of them. Note that I’m using the term “credential” to refer to degrees, diplomas, qualifications, licenses, certificates, badges, micro-credentials, and professional/industry certifications as well as documentation of learning achievements in courses, internships, apprenticeships, and various civilian and military training programs. This is a huge arena.

Credential Engine’s research has identified over a million credentials offered in the U.S. alone. And there are many millions of credentials offered globally, a situation made even more complex by people’s increasing mobility and their need to use their credentials in jurisdictions that are different from where they earned them.

How can anyone understand how to navigate among that many diverse credentials?

Any of these credentials *can* be valuable. But they can also be dead-ends, misleading, or mismatched. This is a dynamic marketplace where credentials vary greatly in content, quality, and value. There is currently a lack of transparency and clarity about what’s inside these credentials, including what skills they represent.

Technology can help provide better transparency, and credentials can be more transparent and valuable if they use linked open data to describe their many different characteristics, connections, and context.

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How do we make sense of credentials?

Quality Assurance (QA)

Competencies

Is this the credential I think it is, or am I confusing it with another credential?
What’s the quality of this credential and its provider?
Does this credential represent the necessary skills?
Is this credential related to other relevant credentials?

Credentials can be more transparent and valuable if they use linked open data to describe the characteristics of credentials, including skills, pathways, occupational alignments, jurisdictions, quality assurance, and other useful information

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Linked open data connections can add clarity at each stage of the credential lifecycle

Providers

Learners & Earners

Employers

Planning & Connecting

Learning & Education

Job Placement & Advancement

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Institution creates a credential/ program/ course

Content management systems, course catalogs, and pathway tools are used to market credential/ program/ course

CRM, enrollment management, and transfer systems qualify and enroll learners in relevant programs

Create Credential

Market Credential

Enroll Learners

To empower learners, the systems that serve them use linked open data to connect their credentials to value at each step along the way

Planning and Connecting

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Learning and Education

Assessment & advising tools work with the SIS/LMS to track real-time progress and provide support

SIS/LMS tracks an individual’s completion of the credential/ program/ course

Track Learning Progress

Learner Completes

Credentialing platforms issue LERs/VCs to individuals and record them to transcript management tools

Issue Credential

To empower learners, the systems that serve them use linked open data to connect their credentials to value at each step along the way

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Individuals receive the LERs/VCs into their digital wallets and share achievements relevant to jobs

Employers & workforce agencies align jobs & work roles with knowledge, skills & abilities

Employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) & HRMS tools to evaluate suitability for jobs and career paths

Employers' HRMS and LMS/LXP identify future opportunities and pathways

Manage Credentials

Define Job

Evaluate Credential Value

Maximize Talent

To empower earners, the systems that serve them use linked open data to connect their credentials to value at each step along the way

Job Placement and Advancement

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Together, we’re building a linked open data network that everyone can access for timely and trusted information about credentials

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Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL)

An open language about credentials on the web.

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The Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) provides a standardized language and structure for describing and linking information about credentials across the internet. By utilizing CTDL, credentials are encoded with detailed, accessible metadata that clarify their characteristics.

What if...

Educational institutions could make their credentials transparent so everyone can see what they’re really made of—and understand the value of what’s inside?
Employers had a Rosetta Stone to help them match candidates’ credentials to job requirements?
State and federal agencies could access credential data in a common structure that connects people, programs, and potential?
Students and workers who want fulfilling careers could easily find and compare information about competencies and credentials--using them to identify clear pathways to success?
Everyone had an open “library” of free, available data describing critical information about all types of credentials—from diplomas and degrees to licenses, badges, certifications, apprenticeships, and everything in between?

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Globally unique Credential Transparency Identifiers (CTIDs) are used to publish, retrieve, update, and manage CTDL metadata in the Credential Registry. The CTIDs enable systems to share and enrich this metadata.

Create Credential

Market Credential

Enroll Learners

Track Learning Progress

Learner Completes

CTID

Issue Credential

Manage Credentials

Define Job

Evaluate Credential Value

Maximize Talent

CTID

Credential Registry

Defined in the framework of the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL), CTIDs serve as the backbone for the Credential Registry—a centralized, online repository that collects, connects, and shares information on all types of credentials.

The Credential Transparency ID (CTID) is a globally unique identifier for all types of credential offerings, such as degrees, certificates, badges, and licenses within the education and workforce development sectors. By providing a standard way to reference and retrieve credential information, CTIDs play a crucial role in enhancing the transparency and interoperability of credentials across educational institutions, industries, and geographic borders.By enabling access to detailed and comparable information about credential offerings it facilitates better understanding and decision-making among students, educators, employers, and policymakers.

To use CTID, a stakeholder—be it an educational institution, employer, or individual learner—searches the Credential Registry using the CTID or related keywords, either directly at Credentialfinder.org or via other software tools using CTIDs to connect to the registry. The registry then presents detailed information about the credential, allowing for informed decisions about educational pathways, hiring, or policy development. The technical infrastructure supporting CTID and the Credential Registry is designed to be open and accessible, promoting wide adoption and integration into existing educational and workforce platforms. By standardizing how credential information is stored, shared, and accessed, CTID simplifies the process of managing and navigating the complex landscape of credentials.

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Institutions publish information about their credential/ program/ course to the Credential Registry, providing linked open data in the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) and globally unique identifiers (CTIDs).

Create Credential

CTID

Institution creates a credential/ program/ course

Organizations

Organization Type
Location(s), including all addresses and satellite campuses

Credentials Offered

Degrees
Stackable Credentials
Licenses

Learning Opportunities

Programs
Courses
Related information, including time to complete

Competencies

Learning Objectives
Skills
What is learned or gained from the Learning Opportunity or upon earning the Credential

Assessments

Assessments required for a Credential or Learning Opportunity

Support Services

Academic or Career Guidance
Physical features or modifications of facilities
Adaptive technologies or offerings
Provision of housing, clothing, or learning resources

Transfer Value

How value can be transferred from one form of learning in another context, typically credit transfer values

Outcomes Data

Number of credential awardees
Number of awardees employed
Related earnings over one or more time periods

Jobs, Occupations, and Pathways

Occupations and Jobs can link to Competencies or Credentials, or be combined with other data to create Pathways

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance available to assist in the pursuit or completion of a Credential

Badges
Certifications
MicroCredentials

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Market Credential

CTID

Chief marketing officers and admissions staff use CDTL to differentiate their offerings and align their value and quality with learners’ needs.

Helps learners discover and analyze credentials, to confirm an offering matches their expectations and meets their needs for success

Helps institutions market their programs and direct their recruitment efforts to empower learners for success

Content management systems, course catalogs, and pathway tools are used to market credential/ program/ course

Related CTDL: Quality assurance, pathways, processes, earnings, employment, cost, time, support services

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Enroll Learners

CTID

Counselors, career coaches, and admissions personnel use CTDL to qualify and enroll prospective learners in offerings that match their needs

CRM, enrollment management, and transfer systems qualify and enroll learners in relevant programs

Helps learners make the best choices about what to enroll in and how to progress more efficiently

Helps institutions grow their programs and improve their efficacy by ensuring alignment of their offerings with learner expectations and needs

Related CTDL: Method, Transfer value, credential connections (to understand how to maximize the value of enrollments)

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Track Learner Progress

CTID

Registrars, instructors, and counselors use CTDL to define assessments and rubrics within their learning environments and supporting systems to promote learner engagement and persistence

Assessment & advising tools work with the SIS/LMS to track real-time learning progress and provide support

Helps learners build mastery motivation and see valuable evidence of learning throughout the process

Helps institutions track real-time progress against requirements, enabling dashboards and proactive support for academic success

Related CTDL: Microcredential, course, assessment, rubric

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Learner Completes

CTID

Academic leaders ensure their SIS and LMS include the globally unique CTID in the data for each credential/ program/course. CTDL data shows the connections between credentials, programs, and courses.

Allows for reliable documentation and verification of learners’ achievements to assure validity and integrity

SIS/LMS tracks an individual’s completion of the credential/ program/ course

Related CTDL: Requirements

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Credentialing platforms issue LERs/VCs to individuals and record them to transcript management tools

Credential Issued

CTID

Registrars work with their credentialing platform providers to ensure those systems are able to receive the CTIDs from the SIS/LMS and include them in the credentials they issue to learners.

Documents learner achievements for full and broad recognition

Helps institutions track real-time progress against requirements, enabling dashboards and proactive support for academic success

Related CTDL: Digital credential

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Individuals receive the LERs/VCs into their digital wallets

Manage Credentials

CTID

Digital wallet providers ensure they are able to use the CTIDs to present valuable CTDL information and enable the individual to access meaningful linked open data about their own credentials.

Empowers learners to to organize and showcase their competencies, skills, and academic achievements to facilitate career advancement

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Employers & workforce agencies align jobs & work roles with knowledge, skills & abilities

Define Job

CTID

Workforce agencies, HR professionals, and hiring managers use CDTL to clearly define and articulate their talent needs and publish information about their organization’s roles and jobs to the Credential Registry

Informs hiring and advancement decisions with a skills-based approach to promote equity

Gives potential workers a clear understanding of the qualifications needed to realize their career aspirations

CTID

Related CTDL: organization, job, work role, occupation, industry, competencies

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Evaluate Credential

Value

CTID

Hiring managers, career coaches, and workforce agencies use CTDL to make their recruitment processes more effective and efficient

Employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) & HRMS tools to evaluate suitability for jobs and career paths

Organizations ensure they’re sourcing the right workers and can reliably verify their suitability

Enables job seekers to articulate and share evidence of their aligned skills to find and secure well-fit job offers

Related CTDL: verification, competencies, job, work role

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Maximize Talent

CTID

CHROs, managers, workforce agencies, and counselors maximize connections across rich CTDL data from numerous sources to identify advancement and growth opportunities

Employers' HRMS and LMS/LXP identify future opportunities and pathways

Enables AI to derive insights for scale, accuracy and efficiency related to talent, skills and capabilities

Workers can identify upskilling pathways and credentials aligned with their career goals

Related CTDL: quality assurance, pathways, processes, earnings, employment, cost, time, support services

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Create Credential

Learner Completes

Issue Credential

Collect Credentials

Share Credentials

CTID

Credential Registry

CTDL linked open data in action

Assess Quality

CTID

Transfer Equivalencies

CTID

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CTIDs provide a clear and consistent framework for understanding credentials

Quality Assurance (QA)

Competencies

Enhances transparency and trust
Facilitates credential comparison
Supports lifelong learning and career development
Promotes interoperability among systems
Informs policy and program development

CTIDs play a pivotal role in the credentialing ecosystem for several reasons, making it a critical tool for enhancing transparency, reducing confusion, and promoting informed decision-making:

Enhances Transparency and Trust: By providing a unique identifier for each credential, CTID helps clarify what each credential represents, its requirements, and its value in the labor market. This transparency builds trust among all stakeholders in the credentialing ecosystem.
Facilitates Credential Comparison: CTID enables the easy comparison of credentials by standardizing the way information is presented and accessed. This comparability is crucial for students, job seekers, and employers alike, as it helps them make informed decisions based on clear, reliable information.
Supports Lifelong Learning and Career Development: As individuals navigate their education and career paths, CTID provides a way to identify and understand the credentials that can help them achieve their goals, recognizing both formal education and informal learning opportunities.
Promotes Interoperability Among Systems: The standardized format of CTID allows for the integration of credential data across different information systems and platforms. This interoperability is key for educational institutions, employers, and technology providers, enabling more seamless sharing and utilization of credential information.
Informs Policy and Program Development: By offering a comprehensive view of the credential landscape, CTID aids policymakers and researchers in identifying trends, gaps, and opportunities within education and workforce development. This insight supports more effective policy and program decisions.

The importance of CTID extends beyond simplifying administrative processes; it underpins a more accessible, equitable, and responsive education and workforce system. By providing a clear and consistent framework for understanding credentials, CTID empowers all stakeholders to participate more fully in the lifelong learning ecosystem.

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Join The Movement

Act

Use CTDL and the Credential Registry to bring clarity to education information by publishing and accessing existing data

Encourage your organization, education and training partners, and industry associations to publish credentials to the Credential Registry

Advocate

Promote credential data transparency through policy, business practices, and within your networks

Connect with federal, state, and regional leaders to encourage their involvement

Partner

Collaborate with Credential Engine to build new solutions that innovate the education and workforce space

Work with your data vendors to incorporate CTIDs and Credential Registry publishing into their systems

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Connect with us to support credential transparency!

Scott Cheney

CEO

scheney@credentialengine.org

��Jeanne Kitchens�Chief Technology Services Officer

jkitchens@credentialengine.org

Deb Everhart�Chief Strategy Officer

deverhart@credentialengine.org

Website: credentialengine.org�Email us: info@credentialengine.org�Technical Information: credreg.net �Credential Finder: credentialfinder.org � �

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