Young people get digital badges proving skills to employers

Young people get digital badges proving skills to employers

Young people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are now better able to prove their skills to employers thanks to a rollout of new digital badges. 

Many young people, particularly those not in employment, education or training (NEET), struggle to show what they’re capable of on a traditional paper CVs.   

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is working with the Region of Learning to change that, giving young people a way to build a trusted digital portfolio of their skills that will help them into work. 

The scheme is being built into Combined Authority programmes like the Youth Guarantee and regional internships. For example, instead of just doing a placement, interns leave with badges showing they’ve gained skills like communication, problem-solving and resilience – the kinds of things employers value but are hard to show on paper.   

Last week, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Paul Bristow joined local business leaders, educators, and community partners in Huntingdon for an event showcasing how the new system works. 

Paul Bristow said: “Too many young people are out of work and I’m determined to give more of them a chance to get a good job. Digital badges help them prove what they can do and we’re encouraging employers to recognise these alongside qualifications so talent doesn’t go unnoticed.” 

The digital badges can be shared on platforms like LinkedIn and attached to digital CVs. They are already being used across the region with more than 2,300 badges issued to 1,200 young people.  

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough was recognised as a national leader in digital badging in the ‘From Skills to Growth’ report by the Digital Badging Commission. It used the region’s Talent Hive and My Skills Pass platforms as examples of best practice.