Stakeholders

One of the main insights of the desk research phase was that publications and research on digital credentials often focus on special aspects of the credentialing ecosystem.  As a result of this focus,  they do not provide an answer to the question of scalability- why is badging developing so slowly ? 

Understanding the factors slowing down scalability is the key to unfolding badges’ potential to bring people with distance to the labour market closer to finding employment, by helping them develop and present their skills and qualifications to potential employers.  Where people cannot receive credit and attestation for their skills and competencies, motivation for further learning and skills development may be lessened, as there is no conceivable reward or benefit compared to the effort involved.

We came to realise early that our target group in itself is not homogenous, but comprises different population segments with different factors determining the type of difficulties accessing the labour market despite being (potentially) qualified.

We went on to better understand both the learners and the stakeholders, through qualitative research in the form  of interviews. We interviewed at least 16 learners / skill bearers from the main target group, and 16 representatives from the assumed stakeholders, in each Norway, Germany and Netherlands.