Credential Engine continues to work on getting national and international credential data in the Credential Registry to support credential transparency. There are many layers that go into making sure the data in the Registry are open and accessible. The goal of this spotlight section is to provide an overview of the distinctions between the open-source Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL), open data, and the Credential Registry’s function as a common repository of open data. 

With over one million credentials in the United States, being able to find, understand, compare and navigate the maze of credentials is critical to the efficient and equitable operations of our education and training systems.  The Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) was designed to assist with just that.  CTDL is an open-sourced, creative-commons licensed, data language that allows credential providers to richly describe the credentials they own and offer, and the essential aspects of those credentials of interest to users, such as competencies, cost, quality, outcomes, pathways, and links to job skills. And by being open-source, anyone can use it to make public their credential data. You can think of the CTDL as a large dictionary of terms that is at your fingertips for describing credentials. And, in fact, CTDL has become the de facto standard for describing the full ecosystem of credentials and other resources available as data for search and discovery, and cross-system interoperability. 

Now, the result and benefit of using CTDL is that the resulting descriptions about credentials, providers, competencies, etc., are all available as linked, open, interoperable data on the web.  This means that search tools, guidance and navigation tools, pathways, and Learning and Employment Record (LER) services, can all find, understand, and make rich connections between these data and other data, such as job openings, available financial aid, wrap-around supports, and more to best serve individuals, employers, educators, and policymakers.  Credential Engine firmly believes that this information about providers, credentials, competencies, and the rich ecosystem (but not any personally identifiable information) can and should be openly available on the web.  The beauty of using CTDL and embracing open data is that once credential and skill data are mapped to the CTDL and published, that information is then openly available for anyone, anytime, anywhere. 

And finally, Credential Engine hosts what is known as the Credential Registry.  The Registry is simply a common repository of data published using CTDL in order to make it easier for everyone to see, and for developers of products and services to be able to access those data easily from one source. It is not a “walled garden”.  While Credential Engine maintains this tool, the data in the Registry is not “owned” by Credential Engine and is open for anyone to use. 

By adding data to the Registry, stakeholders fuel the creation of services and tools that allow students, employers, and workers to choose the best path forward. Together, the CTDL, open data, and the Credential Registry make credential and skill information accessible, discoverable, comparable, and actionable—enabling the vision of credential transparency to become a reality. 

Launch of New Advisory Group: Credential Engine is excited to announce the launch of its newest Advisory Group. The Data Currency for Quality Advisory Group (DCAG) is open to everyone and the purpose is to understand what CTDL elements are critical for stakeholders to assess the quality of — and feel confident consuming — Registry data and to build better and more streamlined use cases for maintaining accuracy of resources (e.g., credentials, learning opportunities, assessments, organizations, transfer value, pathways, competencies, and competency frameworks) in the Registry. If you are interested in learning more, please view the Advisory Group Charter. If you’d like to get involved in this work, you can sign up here. 

New Business Partnership: Credential Engine is excited to announce its newest business partnership with Merit to ensure that transparent, verified, digital credentials lead to jobs. Merit’s partners now have the opportunity to seamlessly incorporate Credential Engine’s Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL), a common language to describe credential information, that captures, links, updates, and shares up-to-date information about credentials for easy organization and searchability. By utilizing the CTDL, Credential Engine and Merit enable universal credential comparability for individuals and give them autonomy to make the most of their life’s achievements. Ultimately, the credential interoperability advanced by Merit and Credential Engine will help clear pathways for qualified individuals to identify and pursue career opportunities based on their verified skills and abilities. To learn more, click here.

Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants Continue Credential Transparency Support: Credential Engine is happy to confirm that the third round of Strengthening Community College grants from the U.S. Department of Labor will continue to require transparency of the credentials and competencies developed, issued, or offered as part of those grants. As a reminder, the Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grant program's goal is to build the capacity of community colleges to collaborate with employers and the public workforce development system to meet local and regional labor market demand for a skilled workforce. If you’d like to learn more, please reach out to us at [email protected].