You. Are. Busy.
Although professionals, in general, use the new year to reinvigorate their goals and get a head start on deliverables, it’s no understatement to say your resources and times are particularly strapped. Luckily, there is a newer technology that paired with advances in online learning, can help whittle down your workload.
And for that, we should first thank the banks.
When we think of security and trust, we often look to our financial institutions, the place where we safeguard our personal money. US banks keep that money secure by using a type of technology called the blockchain to encrypt financial data, so that cybercriminals (and other nefarious actors) cannot tamper with it. In the last few years, the online learning industry has taken stock of this system and started to implement it themselves. Why? Because forged credentials are a reputational risk that businesses cannot afford.
When we break it down, the blockchain is simple in its delivery: an incorruptible digital ledger of economic transactions. It’s incorruptible because each item of value ( financial, credential, etc) is recorded on every computer in the system. Anything written to the blockchain can't be altered in the future by any party. Moreover, an individual could not attempt to create a credential that mimics an already verified credential from an issuing organization - it would not verify against the blockchain record.
It is ironclad
It’s for these reasons that the education community has put so much faith into the blockchain - because we understand the hurdles that online learning already has to clear in your departments. The truth is, we need continued education in the form of online learning to help combat the massive skills gap that our country, and economy, is facing . It is impossible to think that most professionals working a fulltime job, and caring for families, can also add the stress of night or weekend school on top of everything else.
Online learning helps keep skillsets fresh. It allows professionals to invest in their future in a time-and cost-effective manner. Blockchain helps hiring departments verify that this learning has taken place. It allows HR professionals to trust that a candidate is proficient in the areas that they say they are.
Ten years ago, the United States and Canada, led by the The National Cyber Security Alliance, established Data Privacy Day - an annual event where on January 28, they would “create awareness about the importance of respecting privacy, safeguarding data and enabling trust.
This work falls on all of us, as our worlds are increasingly being brought online.