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Transparency
Credential Engine develops its data standards through open, inclusive, and transparent processes
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June 18th, 2025
Welcome to Transparency, Credential Engine’s monthly newsletter. We’re excited to share the latest release of our Issuer Registry Report, spotlight the work of the SHRM Skills First Future founding partners, and celebrate an innovative University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign student project using AI to support credential services. We’ll also provide updates on CTDL improvements, including newly completed credential type updates and enhanced tools like CTDL xTRA. As always, thank you for subscribing. Enjoy this month's updates!

Credential Finder Numbers ([link removed]) : 105,766 Credentials, 10,091 Organizations, 47,595 Learning/Training Opportunities, 12,446 Competency Frameworks, 219,016 Competencies, 20,045 Transfer Values, and more! We encourage readers to explore the Credential Finder and learn more about the data in the Credential Registry.
Jump ahead:

> Spotlight (#Spotlight)
> U (#Policy) pdates (#Updates)
> Partnerships (#State)
> C (#Technology) TDL Solutions (#Technology)
> Events (#Events)


** Spotlight.
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New Resources to Build Trust in a Digital Credentialing Ecosystem

As more learning and career experiences go digital, the systems supporting them must be able to verify that a credential is real while also confirming that the organization issuing the credential is legitimate, governed, and trusted. To help meet this need, Credential Engine ([link removed]) and the Digital Credentials Consortium ([link removed]) (DCC) have released two resources ([link removed]) , the Issuer Identity Registry Research Report and Governance Framework ([link removed]) , designed to guide the development and testing of tools that confirm whether a credential comes from a trusted source, ultimately strengthening the foundation of digital credentialing.
These tools address a key challenge in the digital credentialing landscape, ensuring that credentials are authentic and that the organizations issuing them can be identified and trusted. Together, the new report and governance framework provide practical guidance and models to help stakeholders, from education institutions to employers and tech developers, build a more secure and interoperable digital ecosystem through the use of issuer registries ([link removed]) .
[link removed]

These registries confirm the legitimacy of credential issuers using structured, machine-readable linked open data.

By laying the groundwork for scalable, verifiable credential solutions, these resources support a future where learners, workers, and employers can seamlessly share and verify credentials across systems. It’s a major step toward a more connected, equitable, and trustworthy credentialing future.

Learn more about this work here ([link removed]) .


** Updates.
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Advancing a Skills-First Future: The futurehttp://skillsfirstfuture.org of work is skills-first, and the Center for a Skills First Future ([link removed]) , powered by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Foundation and supported by founding partners like Credential Engine, is helping make that future a reality. This national resource hub offers trusted, research-backed tools to help employers shift from degree-based hiring to approaches that prioritize real-world skills and capabilities. From theSkills First Specialty Credential ([link removed]) to planning tools, assessments, and a curated resource library, the Center equips HR leaders to implement practical, systems-level change. Credential Engine is proud to support this movement to build a more inclusive, agile workforce. Learn more:[link removed]

Expanding Access to Workforce Data: Credential Engine, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is working with the second round of funding grantees to enhance the availability of education and workforce data in a linked open format. This initiative collaborates with state agencies, institutions, and regional organizations to publish data to the Credential Registry on credentials and skills, pathways, and opportunities for success using the CTDL. Partners include Accelerate Montana, Advance Vermont, Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), Bristol Community College, Ohio Association of Community Colleges (OACC), and Our Future in UNiSON (Wingate University). These efforts aim to improve data transparency, fostering a more equitable and efficient education-to-workforce ecosystem. Read more about the work of our grantees here
([link removed]) .

Partnering with UIUC to Make Student Services More Discoverable: For the past year, we’ve partnered with a team of Master’s degree students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to develop a prototype LLM-powered web crawler that extracts information from university websites about support services available to students and transforms it into CTDL data to publish to the Credential Registry. We are proud of the team’s work and their commitment to making information that supports college students available as linked open data!

Don’t Miss Out: Stay connected with the latest insights, updates, and news from Credential Engine by subscribing to our LinkedIn newsletter. It’s your source for everything happening in the world of credential transparency, skills-first initiatives, and workforce innovation. Don’t miss out, subscribe today ([link removed]) !


** Partnerships.
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WGU’s Achievement Wallet Wins 2025 Learning Impact Award: At the 2025 Learning Impact Awards ([link removed]) , 1EdTech celebrated the most innovative and impactful uses of educational technology. Western Governors University’s (WGU) Achievement Wallet took home the award in the Educational Insight, Attainment, and Planning category. This tool empowers learners to showcase both verified and self-asserted skills, connect with career opportunities, and confidently navigate the evolving world of work. By helping learners understand, build upon, and communicate their skills effectively, the Achievement Wallet, developed by iQ4, supports lifelong learning and expands pathways to opportunity.

WGU is enhancing this tool by issuing credentials and course-level achievements with CTDL data, capturing the full range of skills represented within these digital credentials. This collaboration exemplifies how partnership and shared standards fuel a thriving, interconnected digital credential ecosystem. Learn more about the CTDL's role in the Achievement Wallet here ([link removed]) .

[link removed] Data on Texas Occupations Now Available: To support better linked open data connections to credentials, Texas has published ([link removed]) over 1,000 occupations with Texas-specific information on annual wages and projected employment growth rates. Each occupation also includes links to the O*NET top skills, knowledge, and abilities as well as the top industries where this occupation is employed - data which the U.S. Department of Labor makes available ([link removed]) in CTDL JSON-LD format.


** CTDL Solutions.
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Use CTDL xTRA to Support Publishing Goals: CTDL xTRA is an open-source, AI-powered web application created by Credential Engine that extracts and transforms credential information from public web pages into structured, linked open data using the CTDL. Currently, this tool is being piloted, and we welcome participation ([link removed]) and partnership to use this method to scale publishing when structured data is not already available. Organizations that utilize this tool can support and build the foundation for a more connected and navigable ecosystem where everyone benefits. Learn more ([link removed]) and get involved ([link removed]) !

Advancing Global Credential and Skill Transparency: Significant updates to the CTDL have enhanced its capacity to represent credential and qualification types as defined in national and regional systems. Since these types vary across countries, often carrying legal, policy, and quality assurance implications, this update introduces a new CredentialType class to capture those distinctions accurately. This improvement promotes greater global transparency, comparability, and mobility by allowing clear representation of credential standards within and across education and workforce systems. Learn more about these updates here ([link removed]) .


** Events.
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SHRM 2025 ([link removed])

(San Diego, CA. June 29 - July 2nd, 2025) - Join us at this year’s SHRM conference, where industry leaders will explore the latest trends in HR, focusing on workforce diversity and inclusion, regulatory compliance, and the transformative impact of AI and HR technology.

Stop by the Skills-First Booth to meet with Credential Engine and discover how we’re supporting innovation in the skills-first movement. We hope to see you there!

Advancing Skills Intelligence in Post-Secondary & Higher Education: Anticipation, Alignment, and the Future of Work ([link removed])

(Virtual. July 2- 3rd, 2025) - This forum will discuss the challenges of establishing data-driven mechanisms and partnerships that bridge the gap between the demands of the labor market and the supply of agile and responsive education and training systems. Credential Engine will present on “Enabling Skills Intelligence through Credential and Skill Data Transparency.”

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