Credentialing

Nonprofits Partner to Boost Interoperability and Transparency of Credentials

• By Rhea Kelly
• 05/31/19

IMS Global Learning Consortium is partnering with Credential Engine to work on new standards for credentials and institutional data systems. The nonprofit organizations aim to improve interoperability and transparency for credentials and facilitate the exchange of information among institutions, learners and employers.

Through the agreement, the organizations will build interoperability between IMS Global standards and Credential Engine's Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL), according to a news announcement. CTDL "enables credential issuers to publish data and information on the content and value of credentials to the public Credential Registry and the open web." The Credential Registry "makes information such as competencies, cost, quality assurance, earnings, and connections to occupations, and pathway information searchable to the public" in a cloud-based library currently in use by 12 states and regions, nearly 400 credential providers and several federal agencies.

"To address emerging skills gaps in the new world of work, employers and learners alike need agreed-upon digital representations of competencies, achievements, and credentials," said Rob Abel, chief executive officer of IMS Global, in a statement. "This new integration with Credential Engine is a critical step as we work toward a shared vision of a credentials marketplace that is verifiable by employers, searchable and discoverable, and controlled by learners."

"To tap the full potential of today's workforce, learners need clear information on the market value of a credential, and that requires us to build out new types of data and technical infrastructure," said Scott Cheney, executive director of Credential Engine. "This new partnership will accelerate the adoption of critical new standards that make the value, requirements, and competencies associated with all credentials more transparent."