Asia Pacific Institute of Digital Marketing (APIDM), has become the first in the region to offer digital credentials to its successful programme graduates.

Digital badges offer a transparent and reliable way of showcasing qualifications to the benefit of both certificate holders and prospective employers.

APIDM, which is already the first Sri Lankan digital skills provider to be accredited by the CPD certification service in the UK, has partnered with international consultants Everitas and digital credentials specialist Credly to launch the scheme.

The initiative is part of APIDM’s ambitious growth plans to become the most respected marketing skills provider for the APAC region by 2024.

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APIDM CEO Amitha Amarasinghe said the need for the scheme had become far more acute over the past 12 months due to the acceleration of digital transformation across many industries caused by the pandemic.

He said: “We saw massive growth in the online education sector as well with more and more people electing to do professional upskilling programmes online.

“At a certain point, it almost became impossible for someone to recognise the real good quality professional qualifications from mediocre programmes developed with less rigour.

“APIDM wanted a way to distinguish the level of proficiency of our qualification holders in an internationally recognised way.”

He said the partnership with Everitas and Credly, the global giant in issuing digital credentials, enabled them to achieve that objective.

“This move will enable the qualified students of APIDM to distinguish their proficiency and stand out in the field, while the organisations that face many challenges in attracting high-quality candidates will benefit by having a trusted source to identify and verify the talent,” he said.

Shareena Lantra, APIDM manager operations and student success, said: “By providing a secure, digital representation of APIDM certifications our students, trainers and employees can more easily manage, share and make use of their credentials within their networks, across social media platforms and on their resumes.

“For employers, our new digital badges make it easy to identify individuals with the skills they need to build an effective marketing function.”

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Jonathan Finkelstein, CEO of US based Credly, said businesses were now keenly aware of the direct connection between the skills of their employees and the growth potential of the company.

“Digital credentials like those offered by APIDM help employers make better human capital decisions, while ensuring individuals achieve their full professional potential,” he said.

Everitas, Australia’s leading digital credentialing consultancy and Credly representative in the Asia Pacific region, provided regional support to APIDM in the development and launch of their digital badging programme.

Everitas’ founder and director, David Kinsella said, “It is an honour to work with APIDM on this initiative, and inspiring to work with its leadership team, who not only display great vision for the future of regional professional development, but also understand that delivering high quality marketing education programmes is more than simply transferring knowledge.

“It is about delivering outcomes to better connect programmes participants with professional opportunities, and strengthening relationships with alumni for long term mutual benefit.

“APIDM digital credential programme will play a vital role in making this vision a powerful reality, and will ultimately provide wide-ranging benefits for the regional economy overall.”