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Micro Credentials

Digital Badges = Verified Skills

Clickable credentials containing proof of your competencies. Share them on LinkedIn, resumes, and portfolios. A digital badge is only an asset if it is claimed. By accepting your badge, you activate the verified data that proves your expertise to the workforce.

Validate Your Skills. Advance Your Career.

In today's competitive job market, your skills need to be visible, verified, and valued. PPSC digital badges provide portable, third-party validated proof of the specialized competencies you've earned, making it easier for employers to see exactly what you can do, not just what you've studied. Shared on LinkedIn, embedded in your resume, or displayed on your email signature badges enhance your professional profile and help you stand out from the crowd.

Benefits of Digital Credentials:

  • Verified Recognition: Each badge represents a validated achievement, skill, or credential issued by a trusted organization (more credible than self-claimed skills on a resume)

  • Career Visibility: Badges can be shared on LinkedIn, email signatures, websites, and social media (helping earners showcase capabilities to employers and peers)

  • Personalized Learning Pathways: Earners can review recommended next steps (related badges or learning content) to build structured personalized development plans

  • Portable and Permanent: Once earned, badges remain with the individual (providing a lifelong, portable record of achievement)

  • Enhanced Internal Mobility: Within organizations, badges help identify talent for promotions, new assignments, or cross-functional projects based on verified skills

Sample microcredential badge

What is a Digital Badge?

Digital badges are more than icons. They are secure, shareable credentials containing verified metadata about your specific competencies, learning hours, and assessment criteria. Recognized by employers and educational institutions worldwide also known as micro-credentials, they make your skills visible and portable.

A badge may include:

  • The earner's name
  • The skill they attained
  • The badge they earned
  • The URL to the digital badge or to a webpage showcasing all badges the user earned from the institution
  • Additional details (i.e., date of credentialing, recruiters search keywords, etc.)

Also known as micro-credentials, these badges can help prove, rather than merely suggest, that candidates or employees have specific, measurable knowledge. They recognize online learning and offer visual evidence documenting how a skill was obtained.

Badges FAQ's 

PPSC Digital Badges: A Building Block Approach

At Pikes Peak State College, we use a three-tiered system to recognize your learning journey—from mastering a single skill to becoming job-ready in your field.

Skill Badges: The Foundation
foundation icon

  • Focused validation of a specific, applied skill or task—often learned in a short timeframe and immediately applicable in the workplace.

  • Skill badges are stackable building blocks that demonstrate your growing expertise and support larger credentials.
Course/Module Badges: The Walls
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  • Recognition for completing a structured learning experience with multiple outcomes—like a full course, training module, or instructional unit.

  • Course badges show you've mastered broader topics and are progressing toward career-ready competencies.
Microcredentials: The Complete Structure
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  • Job-ready clusters of courses and skills aligned with specific careers, industry needs, or professional roles. These are the credentials that signal employers: "I'm ready."

  • Microcredentials are your competitive advantage—portable proof that you possess the complete skill set employers are seeking.

Claim Your Badge

Don't just earn it—claim it! Once you have completed the requirements for a badge, you will receive an automated email notification from Credly (our badge partner) on behalf of Pikes Peak State College. Follow the following steps to claim your credential.

  • Look for an email from admin@credly.com

  • The subject line will usually say: "You've earned a badge from Pikes Peak State College"

  • Click the "Accept your badge" button inside the email

  • If you are new to Credly: You will be prompted to create a free account. Use the same email address that received the badge notification

  • If you already have an account: Simply sign in to view your new pending badge

  • Once logged in, you will see your badge waiting on your dashboard

  • Click "Accept Badge"

  • You can choose to make the badge "Public" (recommended) so that employers and colleagues can verify your skills, or keep it private

  • You can toggle the "Auto-accept" setting for Pikes Peak State College. This ensures that any future badges you earn from us will automatically be added to your profile without you having to manually claim them each time

  • Now that your badge is claimed, you can use the "Share" button to add it to your LinkedIn profile, share it to your feed, or download the badge image for your email signature


How to Share on LinkedIn

Your PPSC digital badge is designed to be shared! Follow these simple steps to showcase your verified skills to your professional network.

  • Log in to your Credly account at www.credly.com

  • From your dashboard, click on the badge you want to share

  • Once your badge opens, look for the "Share" button at the top of the page 

  • Click the Share button to see your sharing options

  • You'll see several social media icons

  • Click the LinkedIn icon

  • If this is your first time sharing, you may need to connect your LinkedIn account to Credly

Option A: Add to Profile (Recommended for permanent visibility)

  • Select "Add to Profile"

  • This places your badge in the "Licenses & Certifications" section of your LinkedIn profile

  • Your badge will remain visible to recruiters and colleagues who view your profile

Option B: Share to Feed (Recommended for immediate engagement)

  • Select "Share to Feed"

  • Write a post announcing your achievement (e.g., "Excited to share that I've earned this credential from Pikes Peak State College...")

  • Click "Post" to share with your network

  • Visit your LinkedIn profile to confirm your badge appears correctly

  • Click "Show credential" to verify the link directs to your Credly verification page

Beyond LinkedIn, you can share your badge to:

  • Twitter and Facebook (using the same Share button)

  • Email (send directly to employers or colleagues)

  • Your website or portfolio (embed the badge image)

  • Your email signature (display your credentials in every message)