Dear Colleague,
This year, we’re taking the next step in how your vocational students carry their achievements with them into further education and work, and we’d love you to come with us.
Students at your centre can now receive a digital credential: a secure, online record of their achievement they can access and share whenever they need it.
Digital credentials are also the first of a range of changes we’re making to support a first‑class service experience for you and your learners. Over the coming months, we’ll be in touch with details of further improvements, all designed to make it easier to access and use our services in a seamless, responsive and efficient way.
What are digital credentials?
Digital credentials are official, secure digital records of student achievement. Students can store them online and share them with employers, universities, or anyone who needs to confirm their results. They can also display their digital credentials on their online professional profile or CV.
Why do digital credentials matter?
Students now apply for jobs, apprenticeships and further training online. So their credentials need to move with them. Digital credentials gives them secure, instant proof of what they’ve achieved, ready to share whenever an opportunity comes up, and without waiting for a paper certificate to arrive.
For your centre, they offer a future‑ready way to recognise achievement and show employers, parents and partners that you’re putting learners’ progression first. Digital Credentials make it easier for learners to evidence their achievements and help to reduce follow‑up requests after results day.
What’s changing and what isn’t
Digital credentials change how achievements are recognised, accessed and shared, but they don’t change what students need to achieve or how they they achieve. This means that there is no change to assessment, grading or qualification standards.
Paper certificates will continued to be issued as normal. Digital credentials will be introduced for all vocational qualifications, except Tech Awards and T Levels and we’ll keep you informed as we expand the rollout in the future.
Supporting your next steps
We’ll be in touch in May with more details on how digital credentials will work and what to expect next. This will include guidance, FAQs and resources for centres and students. If you have any questions in the meantime, you can contact us through the Pearson support portal, and we’ll be happy to help.
Kind regards
Donna Ford-Clarke
Senior Lead, Product Management
