Digital Credential Leader is First to be Certified to the Open Badges Standard

Credly is first platform to be officially certified by IMS Global Learning Consortium as compliant with the Open Badges specification, ensuring global interoperability and portability of digital credentials

NEW YORK, NY – July 13, 2017 - Digital credential pioneer Credly, which is used by thousands of organizations worldwide, has been certified as the first platform conformant with IMS Global’s Open Badges Standard, an industry specification designed to ensure interoperability of credentials issued across a broad spectrum of learning experiences. The Open Badges specification was originally developed by the Mozilla Foundation. Credly’s validated implementation of the standard reflects the company’s long-standing commitment to open badges and interoperable credentials, amid growing demand among individuals and organizations for full ownership of their data and assurance that earned achievements are truly portable across environments.

With millions of Open Badges awarded, the wide adoption of standards ensures the usability and consistency of data contained within credentials and enables their role as a currency in the modern labor market. IMS Global established its new Open Badges conformance program to help ensure a plug-and-play ecosystem for digital credentials earned across different environments. As an IMS-certified Open Badges conformant platform, Credly demonstrates its commitment to an open architecture that provides the foundation for innovation in education and workforce development.

The conformance program released by IMS is for the Open Badges Standard 1.1. Building on the original standard, the forthcoming 2.0 specification will include new endorsement functionality, enhanced data support for evidence, and greater access to digital badges across multiple languages, locations, platforms and industries. Credly has completed its development for version 2.0 and will submit for certification immediately upon the release of the 2.0 conformance program by IMS.

“Digital credentials are fast becoming a global currency for skills and competencies. Robust standards for interoperability help this currency gain traction across industry and geographic boundaries, ensuring users enjoy full faith in the credentials they earn online,” said Rob Abel, CEO of the IMS Global Learning Consortium.  “Open Badge Standard 1.1 – and the coming Open Badges Standard 2.0 – harnesses the power of digital credentials to be data-rich and portable. We are pleased to see Credly at the forefront of obtaining IMS certification for the open badges standard.”

Since its inception more than five years ago, Credly has championed open standards, including being one of the original adopters of the Open Badges specification and the first platform to both issue and accept open badges. The Credly platform is also certified as conformant with the LTI specification, enabling single sign-on and deep integration with other compliant platforms. Credly recently worked closely with IMS Global to define and build the Open Badges Extensions for Education, an initiative designed to enhance the open standard in a manner that ensures that employers and the labor market at large have access to better data about the quality and rigor behind earned credentials. Credly CEO Jonathan Finkelstein currently serves on the IMS Global Digital Credentials and Badges Executive Board.

“The growing ecosystem of digital credentials is changing how the world recognizes skills and abilities -- and rewards achievement. For digital credentials to have a truly transformative impact and meet the needs of individuals on a global scale, we need a common foundation rooted in interoperability and portability that is provided by open standards,” said Jonathan Finkelstein, CEO and founder of Credly. “We are committed to working with IMS Global and other stakeholders to support the implementation of standards at scale.”

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, please visit http://www.Credly.com.