Open Learning Talks:
Digital Credentials
and the Last Mile toEmployment
Philipp Schmidt & Brandon Muramatsu, MITSharon Leu, Jobs for the Future
Sean Murphy, Walmart

12 Founding Members
Delft University of Technology (Netherlands)
Georgia Institute of Technology (USA)Harvard University (USA)
Hasso Plattner Institute, Potsdam (Germany)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA)McMaster University (Canada)
Tecnológico De Monterrey (Mexico)
Technical University of Munich (Germany)
University of California, Berkeley (USA)
University of California, Irvine (USA)White paper: bit.ly/DCC-whitepaper

University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy)
University of Toronto (Canada)

Digital Credentials Consortium (DCC)
VisionCreate an education landscape that increases learner agency andpromotes more equitable learning and career pathways

MissionCreate a trusted, distributed, and shared infrastructure that is
the standard for issuing, storing, displaying, and verifying digitalcredentials

Learning and Employment Records“A LER is a system that contains verifiable information about aperson’s achievements spanning an inclusive range of contexts,
whether education or training processes, formal or informal,
classroom-based or workplace-based. LERs can seamlessly record,
verify, transmit, and interpret information about learningachievements between learning institutions, businesses, andindividuals.”
American Workforce Policy Advisory Board Digital Infrastructure Working Group.
(2020). Learning and employment records progress and the path forward.
https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/202009/LERwhitepaper09222020.pdf

Introduction
https://bit.ly/DCCLastMile
Employers see potential value to:● Better match candidates tojobs● Broaden talent funnel● Ensure authenticity ofcredentials● Use credentials to manage
the talent pathways

Selected Key FindingsEmployers want to match the skills held by applicants to jobs, BUT there’s
a disconnect in current digital credentials
Resumes, paper and PDF, are still the lingua franca
Digital credentials need to contain granular information about learning
outcomes or achievements to map to skills needed for a job
Adoption of Verifiable Credentials is directly related to the way they areintegrated into Human-Resource Management Systems—not currently
supported, won’t be added by vendors unless there is demand
Skill-based hiring is held back by a lack of coordination
Source: Executive Summary from Camillieri, A., Muramatsu, B. & P. Schmidt. (2022). Credentials to employment: the last mile. https://digitalcredentials.mit.edu/docs/Credentials-to-Employment-The-Last-Mile.pdf

Highlights of Recommendations
Issuers (e.g., Universities)● Accelerate issuing at scale, include skills andcompetencies, support interoperability
Employers● Pilot credential issuing, participate in the development ofcompetency frameworks
Governments● Support innovation (remove barriers to use, encourage
use in hiring for government jobs)
Source: Executive Summary from Camillieri, A., Muramatsu, B. & P. Schmidt. (2022). Credentials to employment: the last mile. https://digitalcredentials.mit.edu/docs/Credentials-to-Employment-The-Last-Mile.pdf

Highlights of Recommendations
Trust Providers● Publish trust info as linked data, develop quality guidelines andprocesses
Joint Action● Develop map of skills ecosystem, enhance evidence-base,develop tools to support validation of abilities andachievements

Source: Executive Summary from Camillieri, A., Muramatsu, B. & P. Schmidt. (2022). Credentials to employment: the last mile. https://digitalcredentials.mit.edu/docs/Credentials-to-Employment-The-Last-Mile.pdf