EDC is a multilingual format for electronically sealed, digital presentations of learning credentials. They can be awarded in the context of formal education, training, online courses, volunteering experiences, non-formal learning etc., and can take the form of diplomas, micro-credentials, certificates of participation, or any other type of learning records.

The EDC Issuer and Viewer are ready-to-use tools for building, issuing and viewing these digital credentials, while the open-source options allow larger organisations to customise and integrate these tools into their own IT system. Both options are available for any institution, organisation or company that wishes to issue digital credentials aligned with European standards.  Have a look at a sample European Digital Credential here. 

The EDC infrastructure allows institutions or organisations to issue digital credentials directly to a learners’ wallet, a personal online space for storing credentials, such as the one available in the My Library section of a person’s Europass account. Individuals can then securely store their credentials, creating an online portfolio of their learning, that they can easily share to apply for job or learning opportunities, all while keeping full control of their data. When third parties view a shared credential, the information on validity and authenticity of the credential is instantly verified.  

To learn more, visit our pages on how to build and issue EDCs, explore our open-source documentation, and join our Futurium group to connect with other EDC implementers. 

What is a digital credential?

A digital credential is a natively digital presentation of a traditional credential (which can be a learning credential such as a diploma or training certificate, a driver’s license or a social security document). This means that the digital credential, contrary to, for instance, a scanned copy of a diploma, is an original document. Digital credentials can be securely stored in online wallets, from where they can be shared with third-parties, for instance employers when applying for a job. Digital credentials can help in certifying the origin of a credential and are tamper-evident, safe-guarding them against credential fraud. Finally, digital credentials are machine-readable, meaning that their content can be automatically processed by the IT systems of employers or learning institutions. 

The aim of European Digital Credentials for Learning is to support the digitalisation and acceptance of learning credentials by providing a standard European format for digital credentials. It has its legal base in the Europass Decision and is aligned with many other European tools and policy initiatives, promoting cohesion at a European level. EDC can help support the recognition processes for credentials and ensure that the following key aspects are taken into consideration. 

Benefits of EDCs – moving away from paper

Verification and Trust

EDCs are subject to automatic authentication and verification checks each time a credential is viewed, maintaining the trustworthiness of the document. These checks ensure that any modifications to the credential content, such as an attempt to change the recipient’s name, are detected and directly visible when viewing the credential. This provides an additional layer of security which cannot be attained by other commonly used documents, such as generic PDFs.

Comprehensive and Detailed

EDCs can offer more information than what is traditionally included in paper certificates or even PDF. They allow you to highlight valuable information such as learning achievements and acquired learning outcomes (skills, knowledge and competences), which can even be linked to skills from the  ESCO skills taxonomy or other frameworks such as  DigComp or GreenComp.  This makes them particularly useful when applying for jobs, further studies, training opportunities or recognition.

Security and Authenticity

 EDCs are signed using an electronic seal. The use of the seal is mandatory and informs the viewer of the credential about the origin of the credential. The electronic seal ensures the credential integrity. These seals can be acquired from Trusted Service Providers, who issue these electronic seals in line with the EU legal framework for electronic seals, the eIDAS Regulation.

Recognition

 EDCs are designed to promote cross-border recognition of credentials.  To this aim, they are  based on a multilingual European standard, the European Learning Model (ELM), which integrates existing European frameworks and vocabularies (such as the European Qualifications Framework). The ELM also aligns with international standards for Verifiable Credentials (developed by the W3C). 

Data ownership

 Learners who receive an EDC have full control over their personal information. EDCs are issued to learners via email or by direct deposit into their wallet. From there, learners can choose how and when to share their credentials with third parties via share-links or PDF export and for how long.