Building through badges

We’ve been working on a pilot project with Cambridge City Council pioneering a fresh way to showcase skills – digital badges.  

Supporting with communications and marketing, we’ve created social media posts to showcase the benefits of badges, refreshed their website, and developed a host of digital resources.  

From knowing nothing about the concept, we’ve seen firsthand how valuable digital badges can be in recognising skills and achievements. Now, as our involvement in the project is drawing to a close, we’ve had time to reflect on what stood out most to us, the significant impact digital badges can have on young people, particularly those who may have struggled in school. 

Building confidence  

For many young people, digital badges provide a flexible and accessible way to recognise skills beyond traditional education, making them especially valuable for individuals with SEND. While they may face challenges in formal learning, they have valuable skills that deserve recognition. Digital badges showcase achievements in areas like technical skills, teamwork or problem-solving, giving learners a credible way to show their abilities. 

Digital badges help build confidence, particularly for young people who face challenges in finding employment. Earning a badge not only validates their strengths but also reinforces their self-belief. The recognition from a badge helps them see their potential and feel more prepared for future education or career opportunities. 

The impact of badges 

Digital badges are a very new concept that is just starting to take off so measuring their impact will take time. However, we’ve been collecting first hand accounts, testimonials and case studies to highlight the success of badges through real life experiences. One person emphasised how digital badges enhance both motivation and recognition in the workplace: "Digital badges provide us with a visible and shareable form of recognition, boosting employee morale and engagement while validating specific skills and achievements.” This feedback highlights the wider impact of digital badges in creating valuable opportunities for learning and professional development. By making achievements more visible and accessible, badges help individuals take pride in their progress and unlock new opportunities. 

We believe the project is a brilliant initiative, we hope it continues to prove successful and other areas outside of Cambridge consider championing the initiative. To learn more about our involvement in the project, head over to our projects page and visit, Region of Learning. If digital badges sounds like something you want to know more about or you would like to contact the Region of Learning team, head over to their website.