BOSTON, April 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- College and university students often struggle to convey to employers the workforce skills they have developed within their degree program. A new partnership announced today between edtech provider Cengage and Accredible, a digital credentialing platform, will make that easier. Students who take Introduction to Computing courses and use Cengage's online learning platform, MindTap, will be able to earn achievement badges when they complete assessments and demonstrate proficiency of Microsoft Office 365 skills. Students can add the badges to their digital resume, online portfolio, or LinkedIn at no additional charge.

Microsoft Office 365 is one of the most universally used platforms today, with over 1 billion users worldwide, making it an essential competency for the workforce. In addition, Introduction to Computing courses are taken by 2.3 million college students annually, including those who are not computer science majors. With these digital badges, all students can clearly articulate that they have these skills, helping enhance their employability in a crowded job market.

"The workforce skills gap is a serious issue that affects organizations in every industry," said Cheryl Costantini, SVP for Academic Product at Cengage. "One way to proactively address the issue is to allow students to master universally adaptable skills, like Microsoft Office 365, before they enter the workforce. Students want to know that the skills they're acquiring will result in employment, and employers want to know that they're hiring the most qualified candidates. Our partnership with Accredible accomplishes this goal, building skilled candidate pipelines that fill a serious need."

Accredible's software integrates seamlessly with Cengage's MindTap, so there are minimal technical barriers to entry and no need for instructor intervention as ease of use is paramount to students' experience and workflow. Additionally, as a member of 1Edtech, the consortium building the digital credentials ecosystem, Cengage Group supports open badging standards, and Accredible's platform conforms with 1EdTech's Open Badges v2 standard. Adherence to this standard ensures that badges are verifiable and shareable across platforms.

Unlike other digital badging platforms, the Cengage Group and Accredible partnership offers the following benefits:

• Specific competencies: To further Cengage's mission of supporting students on their path to employability, these badges indicate milestone achievement for a specific Microsoft application, such as Word or PowerPoint.
• Intentional badging: Rather than offering numerous badges in many subjects, these certifications are available selectively. This falls in accordance with Cengage learning design principles of intentionality, inclusivity, authenticity, and personalization.

Digital badging will be live for Fall 2023 classes via MindTap and available in all Introduction to Computing programs, including The Shelly Cashman Series®, the pre-eminent product for teaching and learning Microsoft Office 365.

To learn more about Cengage Introduction to Computing and the benefits of digital badging visit www.cengage.com/discipline-computing/.   

ABOUT CENGAGE
Cengage, the U.S. Higher Education business of global education technology company Cengage Group, serves millions of instructors, learners and institutions. We deliver affordable, high-quality digital products and personalized support to power learning individually and at scale. Our customer-centered approach enables innovation, including Cengage Unlimited, the first and only all-access digital subscription for textbooks and course materials. Our textbooks, homework tools, and flagship online learning platforms, MindTap and WebAssign, help educators and students achieve their goals. Visit us at www.cengage.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter and  LinkedIn.

ABOUT ACCREDIBLE
Accredible is the industry-leading digital credentialing platform that securely issues, manages, tracks, and verifies millions of high-stakes credentials across the globe. Accredible integrates with leading learning software including Canvas, D2L Brightspace, Kajabi, Kryterion Webassessor, Moodle, Thinkific, and more. Over 1,800 leading Universities, associations, and technology companies such as Google, Skillsoft, Slack, Chartered Banker Institute, Rosetta Stone, University of Cambridge, NACE, Zendesk, Hootsuite, IEEE, McGraw-Hill, INSEAD, IAPP, UC Berkeley, and The Digital Marketing Institute rely on Accredible to create, deliver and manage digital certificates and open badges. Learn more at www.accredible.com.

SOURCE Cengage