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Find out how to best feature skills tags in your digital badge.
Section 4 of our badge writing form enables you to add a tailored selection of tags to your badge, relating specifically to skills, attributes, and values.
Ensuring that each of these skills is referenced (mentioned) in the earning criteria section of the badge is an important part of our Quality Assurance (QA) process.
Why should I reference skills tags?
Making sure that skills tags are referenced in earning criteria supports earners to identify transferable skills and how they have applied them. It can also help your badge to pass the 'Stranger Test' as part of QA.
While you may feel that some skills are "a given" as part of your activity, it is not always obvious to earners, who could struggle to communicate how their experiences have led to developing skills. This is what digital badging is all about!
Referencing skills tags in your earning criteria bullet points provides earners with clear language to use when seeking future opportunities. For example, they could feature their badge on a CV, copy earning criteria text into a job application, or use it when preparing answers for interview questions.
This is also relevant for viewers of the badge - should an earner use a badge to apply for a job and it is viewed by an employer in the recruitment process, if you have explained how the earner has developed / demonstrated skills, this might just be the reference that vouches for their experience and opens the door for the next step in their journey.
What happens if I don't reference skills tags in my badge?
- Skills tags entered into Section 4 of the badge writing form that are not referenced in earning criteria may be removed during QA. This means that these skills will not feature on your badge when published, or might put your skills tags section under the minimum 3 x skills.
- We often get in touch about unreferenced tags as a way to support with adding detail to your badge as part of QA. This leads to a badge status of 'Pending' and can extend the QA process timeframe.
How can I make sure my skills tags are properly referenced?
Ensure that every skill you enter into Section 4 is mentioned in your earning criteria to explain how each one is developed and/or demonstrated by the earner while earning the badge.
You might choose to structure your bullet points similarly to the following formula:
- Earner has [gained/developed/demonstrated/shown/displayed/increased etc.] skills in [enter skill or skills] by completing [enter the action they undertook regarding the skill]. They have [enter an outcome, e.g. what resulted from the action, what they can now do using the skill, or why this is important].
More information on writing bullet points to include Actions, Skills, and Outcomes (ASO) can be found in How to write earning criteria.
If you are happy that your list of skills tags is representative of skills gained or demonstrated in the activity but you have not yet discussed them, an easy tip for referencing these is to start with your list of tags and create additional earning criteria exploring these skills.
For example, if your list of tags is:
Presentation, Communication, Professionalism, Collaboration, Teamwork
Your new earning criteria could be:
- “Earner has demonstrated excellent presentation and communication skills by interacting with people to provide information on XX.”
- “Earner has demonstrated professionalism and expertise in their given field by participating in XX.”
- “Earner has supported the aims and outcomes of XX through collaboration with XX, demonstrating excellent teamwork throughout.”