The Credential of the Future Is Extra
Actually, the credentials of now should be extra.
I’ve been doing a lot of digging in the credentialing and recognition space lately as part of a Social Lab with Learning Creates and I’ve noticed something that I should have cotton-oned to long ago… The way in which we credential young people is incredibly binary.
In a recent interview with four industry representatives across a broad spectrum, we found that none of the organisations represented valued scores, traditional transcripts or grades. In fact, all of the industries preferenced CVs and interviews.
And, yet, most credentials these days come down to two whats (that’s not a typo):
- What I can do
- What I know
So, according to current processes, if I can do a couple of things really well and if I know a couple of things really deeply and I can regurgitate this, I’ll have access to further study and perhaps, an internship or an apprenticeship. Hmmm. This seems very one-dimensional.
What if credentials allowed for the beauty of a person’s complexity, more than the whats. What if credentials validated the whys, hows, whos, wheres and whens as well as the whats?
Let’s explore this more:
Why Do I Do What I Do
This credentialling element would be focussed on an individual’s values and purpose. Does the person volunteer? or do extra reading? or love family? Credentialing a person’s unique ‘why’ validates the beautiful complexity of each human being.
How I Work and Learn
This is not about learning styles or preferences. This is more about how a person brings together a team or ensures deadlines are met or uses socio-emotional super-powers to connect with potential clients. Knowing how each individual operates is far more useful than their internal factbook.
Who Am I Connected With
This is more than the age-old adage, It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Credentialling networks is an interesting idea. Though perhaps it’s not about the breadth of one’s network (how many Instagram followers) but more about the diversity quotient. Who have I led? Who influences me? Who do I walk beside? might all be facets of an extra-credential.
Where Do I Work and Learn
This element would validate the myriad of places people learn and contribute, from learning in the bush to volunteering, to the online space, to school, to elders. Have I participated in an open university? Completed an apprenticeship with surf-lifesaving? Started a Facebook group to raise awareness of an illness? All of these would be valuable in an extra-credential.
When Do I Work and Learn
Demonstrating both an ability to commit to projects and also to leave failed/failing projects are worth validating. The idea of the fail resume is one way to do this but what if this was an integral part of each person’s extra-credential?
The big question — What might this look like?
My thinking is very nascent and unsophisticated but perhaps something like this but, more, erm, extra, might spark our thinking.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on how we might non-binarise credentials.
