The authors of Training for Jobs for the Future focus on three promising approaches to certifying skills:
1. A “verified resume”*** chronicling a worker’s skills through the endorsements of past employers and educators.
2. Increased reliance on competency-based education that measures skills rather than seat time.
3. The development, validation, and promotion of a broader ecosystem of stackable skills-oriented credentials such as micro-credentials, badges, and short-term certificates.
***The verified resume is a concept developed and promoted by Arnold Packer, formerly of Johns Hopkins University. A verified resume is a document that records the skills and knowledge that people acquire through their lives, both as students and workers. Packer describes the verified resume as “midway between LinkedIn and a credential.” Interest in verified resumes has grown in recent years with developments in blockchain technology that can reliably document skill verification by a distributed network of actors.
What is your experience with verified resumes? Do you teach learners about them? Employers, are you seeing more of them for middle-skill job openings?
Mike Cruse
Career Pathways Moderator
michaelcruse74@gmail.com