American Council on Education, Credly Launch New Digital Credential Program to Recognize Workforce Training

Collaboration makes digital badges available to working professionals

WASHINGTON, DC (January 30, 2017) -- The American Council on Education (ACE) and Credly announced today that participants in ACE’s College Credit Recommendation Service (CREDIT®) will now be able to issue digital credentials through Credly, making it easier for working professionals to request academic credit for workplace training and to share evidence of their achievements online.

For more than four decades, ACE CREDIT recommendations have connected workplace learning to colleges and universities by helping students gain access to academic credit for formal training taken outside of traditional degree programs. ACE CREDIT organizations include major corporations, associations, labor unions, and government agencies, who offer a wide array of courses in numerous fields, from restaurant management to radiology. The addition of a digital credential platform is expected to generate new insights into the experiences and success of individuals who are awarded credentials through CREDIT-approved courses each year.

“Our work is rooted in the belief that experience in the workplace can lead to a more flexible pathway to earn college degrees and credentials and fuel career growth,” said ACE President Molly Corbett Broad. “Credly is helping us transform a powerful concept for the digital era through empowering professionals with portable credentials. We are pleased to enable our CREDIT organizations to tap into the promise of digital credentialing.”

As a result of the collaboration, organizations that offer training recommended for college credit will be able to issue secure, portable, and data-rich digital badges that recognize professional and academic achievements in addition to an ACE official transcript. Transcripts will continue to be used primarily to communicate credit recommendations to colleges and universities across the country. This spring, Walt Disney, KFC, AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, and Jiffy Lube will be among the first CREDIT participants to offer digital credentialing.

“The ACE CREDIT program supports our vision for promoting integrity, excellence, and innovation across the Jiffy Lube service center workforce,” said Kenneth Barber, Jiffy Lube’s manager of learning and development. “We believe the skills and experiences our franchisee employees develop on the job should be recognized and be readily convertible into further educational and professional opportunity. Digital credentials help capture and communicate both the achievements and potential of our franchisee employees.”

Once awarded a digital credential, individuals are able to showcase their accomplishments through professional networks online, or include in job applications and e-portfolios. Individuals can also seek academic credit for their achievements at colleges and universities by requesting their separate ACE official transcript through a single click within the digital credential itself.

“Meaningful learning increasingly happens in a wide variety of places, and quality alternative education experiences deserve to be recognized,” said Credly CEO and founder Jonathan Finkelstein. “Skills and knowledge, wherever earned or demonstrated, should be readily translated into opportunity. By partnering with one of the nation’s most trusted higher education organizations, we look forward to helping employers and employees better work together to align individual talent with workforce needs.”

To learn more about how to issue ACE CREDIT-verified digital credentials, visit https://credly.com/about/ace-credit.

About the American Council on Education Founded in 1918, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education institutions, representing nearly1,800 college and university presidents and related associations. It provides leadership on key higher education issues and influences public policy through advocacy. For more information, please visit www.acenet.edu.

About ACE CREDIT The American Council on Education's College Credit Recommendation Service (CREDIT®) was established in 1974 to connect workplace learning with colleges and universities by helping students gain access to academic credit for formal training taken outside traditional degree programs. With over 35,000 courses and exams reviewed, CREDIT is the national leader in the evaluation process for education and training obtained outside the classroom including courses, exams, apprenticeships, and other types of nontraditional forms of training. For 40 years, colleges and universities have trusted ACE to provide reliable course equivalency information to facilitate credit award decisions. Participating organizations include corporations, professional and volunteer associations, schools, training suppliers, labor unions and government agencies, with courses from Arabic to Waste Management. For more information about CREDIT, visit www.acenet.edu/credit.

About Credly Credly is a leading digital credential service provider, helping the world recognize lifelong achievement with the most popular platforms for verifying, sharing and managing digital credentials and badges. The enterprise-class system allows organizations to officially verify skills and competencies; distribute portable and secure digital credentials and open badges; and gain actionable data and insights. Thousands of education institutions, industry associations, employers and workforce development programs use Credly to make achievements visible. For more information about Credly, visit credly.com.

Media Contacts: contact@credly.com, (800)841-5890