Cambridge, MA - edX and IBM are thrilled to announce that IBM skill badges are now available for all IBM courses delivered on edX. IBM skill badges provide learners with a portable, verifiable, and information-rich digital credential that makes it easy to share and validate skills and expertise essential to employers. Although much of the world is still battling the COVID-19 pandemic, as the global economy prepares to recover, this type of credential will become increasingly relevant as hiring and reskilling strategies shift towards measuring skills.
The short-term impact of COVID-19 was immediate when millions of people worldwide lost their jobs or were furloughed in March-April 2020. The longer-term impacts on employability are less known, as some of the world with access to vaccines begins to return to normal, and the remainder continues to fight the virus. A McKinsey report on the future of work found that as many as 25% more workers globally may need to switch occupations than before the pandemic, given the expected concentration of job growth in high-wage occupations and declines in low-wage occupations due to AI and automation. This is 12% more than estimated before the pandemic. Digital badging, like the IBM skill badges on edX, is one way to better demonstrate the qualifications of candidates in these future high-growth job areas.
“edX is committed to providing learners with the right size, right time knowledge that they need to advance their careers and unlock their potential,” said Anant Agarwal, edX founder and CEO. “Launching these skill badges not only deepens our partnership with IBM, but it provides learners with an additional tangible proof point of the knowledge they gain in an IBM course on edX, a value-add to the verified certificate.”
edX and IBM first piloted skill badges in April 2021, and over 8,700 earned badges in just 2 months. Now, skill badges are available as part of the verified learning experience for learners who pass an IBM course on edX. IBM’s skill badge framework covers four skill levels: Foundational, Intermediate, Advanced, and Mastery.
“IBM skill badges serve an important and growing need in business. They provide individuals and employers with an alternative form of credential recognizing detailed skill development and progression for modern job roles that don’t necessarily require a traditional four-year degree. IBM’s focus on learning content quality and rigor ensures every IBM skill badge issued provides purpose, value, and trust for the learner, as well as talent management and recruitment professionals,” said Alex Ziegler, Program Director, IBM Training & Skills.
Learn more about IBM skill badges on edX: https://www.edx.org/skill-badges.