Today marks a special day for Accredible for multiple reasons.
First, we officially announced that Accredible surpassed 100 million digital credentials issued to more than 20 million learners globally. We’re incredibly proud of the industry-first milestone as the world’s largest network of digital credentials, marking a watershed moment for their role in the skills-based movement. The ability to verify and validate skills has become more important than ever before.
Secondly, Accredible unveiled our refreshed brand identity and introduced our new website and logo. The bold and modern look maintains our 11-year credentialing heritage while reflecting the company’s leadership and dynamic approach to connecting issuers, learners, and industry. It’s truly a reflection of our customers.
As an Accredible co-founder alongside our CTO, Alan Heppenstall, we’re incredibly proud of these milestones because they continue to validate our mission and how critical verifiable digital credentials are to learning and careers. Today is a testament to our team and our customers, who believe in the mission to empower individuals with a comprehensive and verifiable snapshot of their skills and competencies.
Let’s take a quick look at what led us to this point and where we go from here.
Why we started Accredible
In 2013, Alan and I started Accredible as two founders after experiencing first-hand the frustration and limitations of traditional credentialing systems. They didn’t feel meritocratic, were inaccessible to most, and didn’t accurately and holistically communicate who I was and what I could do.
We were in a world that summarized people into a name or a grade, and that was it.
So, we set out to bring credentials kicking and screaming into the digital age to help organizations and learners measure and demonstrate verifiable skills gain.
The rise of digital credentials
Since then, we’ve seen the rise of digital credentials — from early adopters to early majority and critical mass due to increasing market demands.
Education institutions like Oxford, UC Berkeley, MIT, and University of Cambridge have shifted to digital credentials to meet learner demand for alternative learning pathways, digital wallets, sharing, and instant verification.
New credential issuers have also entered the space — with a heavy presence from technology companies like Google, Slack, Databricks, and Snowflake and associations like IAPP, International Lean Six Sigma Institute, and The Digital Marketing Institute expanding beyond just membership to professional certifications. And we’ve also seen the boom of publishers and online learning platforms like McGraw Hill and Skillsoft looking to engage their learners and incentivize course completion.
We’ve even seen many of the largest testing and awarding bodies, such as GMAC, ETS, British Council, City & Guilds, and Junior Achievement, adopt digital credentials to elevate learner and program value.
Most are looking to not only recognize and award learners but also build a network of certified learners and brand advocates — sharing their credentials online to boost awareness and enrollment.
At the same time, we’ve also seen increased demand for and use of digital credentials from learners. Unlike one line on a resume, digital credentials communicate the totality of someone’s skills and abilities. They serve as evidence of projects completed, assessments taken, and high-caliber teaching. They translate achievements into value that hiring managers understand.
Penn State University student Michael DeWolfe had this to say about earning a digital badge from McGraw Hill’s online training and assessment platform, SIMnet, “I have all my SIMnet badges on LinkedIn and my resume. So, in almost every interview, someone says, ‘Oh, I see these credentials on your resume. Can you talk a little bit more about that?’ I’m not just saying that I have Excel skills; I’m proving them through the badges.”
I think it’s safe to say verifiable proof of skills has truly become the new currency.
It’s because of you — our customers and our team
Without our team and customers, these 11 years, 100 million digital credentials, and 20 million learners wouldn’t have happened. Alan and I are extremely proud and thankful for the Accredible team — past and present — for helping build the Accredible platform, onboard and support our customers, and expand our market and impact.
We also want to thank our customers — from the ones who believed in us, our platform, and our vision in the early days to the ones who have joined us along the way. It’s been amazing to work alongside you as you’ve trained and educated more than 20 million people — helping them translate learning into future opportunities.
A new brand for the next 100 million credentials
While surpassing 100 million credentials is an incredible milestone, we're just getting started. It’s why we’re so excited to introduce a refreshed brand and website to help us continue our mission and pay tribute to the customers and learners who use Accredible every day. This transformation for Accredile and for our customers is the result of months of dedicated work by our incredibly talented Brand Marketing team, as well as valuable customer feedback.
We couldn’t be more bullish about the future of digital credentials. As learning and work continue to become more integrated, so will the importance of digital credentials in helping to connect them with verifiable skills. Digital credentials are no longer a niche way to communicate someone’s achievements — they’re firmly on track to become the default standard for credentials.
Now, with the world’s largest network of digital credentials, Accredible is perfectly positioned to help issuers ensure learner achievements are not only recognized and verified, but also valued in the modern workforce.
Thank you again to everyone who contributed to today’s milestone. And if you’re just arriving, join us on the journey!
