Why digital badging must be at the heart of how we recognise skills for work

These simple, verifiable tools are already helping learners and workers make their skills visible – especially the kinds of transferable, work-ready capabilities that employers consistently say they need, but struggle to find.

Now is the moment to act. The UK is grappling with deep skills shortages across sectors, from construction to care, green industries to digital. At the same time, thousands of people – especially young people and adults moving between careers – are gaining valuable skills every day through placements, projects, technical education, and life experience. But these skills are often not formally recognised. They don’t show up on a CV, and they’re not captured by traditional qualifications.

Digital badges offer a practical, scalable way to close this gap. A badge is more than a symbol – it’s a digital, portable record of achievement, backed by evidence. It captures not just what someone knows, but what they can do.

For example, a badge might demonstrate someone’s ability to collaborate in a team, communicate with stakeholders, or manage a real-world project. Critically, these badges can be verified and shared – on digital portfolios, job applications, or learning records – giving individuals a way to tell a fuller story about their skills and potential.

This approach aligns strongly with what the UK needs from its post-16 education system: more flexibility, more inclusivity, and clearer routes into skilled employment. It supports the goals set out in the government’s ambitions for a high-quality, employer-responsive skills system, as well as the Lifelong Learning Entitlement. If implemented well, digital badges could complement qualifications, support local skills improvement plans, and strengthen the links between education and work.

At the UK Digital Badging Commission, we’ve seen first-hand how badges are already working in practice. Colleges are using them to recognise employability and technical skills gained through T Levels, work placements and enrichment activities. Employers are beginning to issue their own badges for in-house training or onboarding programmes. In both cases, the impact is clear: badges improve visibility, motivation and engagement. Learners feel more confident articulating their achievements. Employers can identify the skills they need more easily.

But if digital badging is to achieve its potential, we need a clear, coordinated strategy to support it. That includes national standards for badge design, consistent quality assurance, and a trusted digital infrastructure. Without this, we risk fragmentation, where badges vary in meaning and recognition – and fail to deliver lasting value.

Policymakers have a vital role to play in enabling this ecosystem. By recognising badges in public employment and education programmes, embedding them into technical qualifications and careers guidance, and supporting employer uptake, government can help ensure badges are trusted and widely understood. There is also scope to build digital badging into personal learning accounts, local authority initiatives, and future developments in digital learner records.

This is not about replacing qualifications or creating parallel systems. It’s about strengthening what we already have – adding clarity and currency to the skills people gain throughout their lives. It’s also about levelling the playing field.

For people who may not thrive in traditional academic pathways, badges offer a way to gain recognition for real achievements. For employers, they offer a clearer line of sight to talent – particularly in communities often overlooked by current recruitment practices.