What are digital badges used for?
The main ways organisations use digital badges, from skills and courses to membership and CPD.
Last updated 27 September 2026
Organisations use digital badges to recognise almost any kind of achievement. Most uses fall into a few types.
Skills and competence
Show that someone can do something specific, such as use a piece of software, lead a team or follow a safety procedure. These are the badges employers find most useful.
Course completion and learning progress
Recognise a completed course, a module, or progress through a longer programme. Several badges can build towards a larger qualification, known as a pathway.
Membership
Confirm that someone belongs to an organisation, a professional body or a team, and at what level.
Professional development and compliance
Record CPD, mandatory training or qualifications that need renewing, often with an expiry date so everyone can see they are still current.
Events and participation
Recognise attendance at a conference, workshop or event, or taking part in a project or volunteering.
Planning your own badges? See Badge, certificate or both? and our guide How to design a digital badge programme people trust.