What are Open Badges?

Digital credentials that are portable and recognised worldwide.

Digital credentials for a digital world

Open Badges are digital representations of skills, learning, and achievements. They follow an open standard maintained by 1EdTech (formerly IMS Global), which means they work across different platforms, tools, and organisations.

Unlike a paper certificate that sits in a drawer, an Open Badge contains structured metadata — who issued it, who earned it, what it represents, the criteria for earning it, and when it was issued. This information is embedded directly in the badge image file, making it portable and easy to share.

How do they work?

When an organisation issues an Open Badge, the badge metadata is "baked" into a PNG or PDF file. This metadata includes:

Issuer details — the organisation that awarded the badge
Badge information — name, description, and the criteria for earning it
Recipient — the person who earned the badge (verified by email)
Evidence — links to work or evidence that demonstrates the achievement
Issue date — when the badge was awarded
Expiry date — if applicable, when the credential expires

Because this data follows an open standard, badges can be stored, verified, and shared using any compatible platform — including Cred.Scot.

Why Open Badges matter

Open Badges give learners real control over their credentials.

Transparent

Every badge contains embedded metadata showing who issued it, the criteria, and when it was earned. No more guesswork.

Portable

Your badges belong to you. Store them anywhere, move them between platforms, and keep them for life.

Stackable

Combine badges from different issuers to build a complete picture of your skills and learning journey.

Recognised

Open Badges follow an international standard used by thousands of organisations worldwide.

Open Badges in Scotland

Scotland has been at the forefront of Open Badges adoption. Colleges, universities, local authorities, NHS boards, and third-sector organisations across the country use Open Badges to recognise learning and achievement — from formal qualifications to workplace skills and volunteering.

Whether you've earned badges through a college course, an employer's training programme, a professional development workshop, or a community project, Cred.Scot gives you a single, secure place to store and showcase them all.

What is a backpack?

A "backpack" is the term used in the Open Badges ecosystem for a personal storage and display service for your badges. Think of it as a digital wallet for your credentials. Cred.Scot is a backpack — it lets you:

Upload and store your badges securely
View the full details and metadata of each badge
Organise badges into collections
Build a professional portfolio
Share individual badges or your full portfolio
Collect endorsements from people who can vouch for your skills

Getting started

If you have Open Badges — whether as PNG images or PDF files — you can upload them to Cred.Scot right now. The platform will automatically read the baked metadata and create a complete badge record. From there, you can organise, annotate, and share your credentials however you like.