Accredify nabs SBR Technology Excellence Award for Blockchain - Education

Its tamper-proof solution allows education records to be transferred cross-border and cross-institution easily.

With educational institutions processing thousands of education certificates per semester, preserving the integrity of their education certifications amidst the global proliferation of fraudulent credentials became a big challenge. This is where Accredify stepped in.

Accredify, an information technology and services firm that enables organisations to create and issue verifiable tamper-proof documents, also known as Accredified documents, sought to simplify the management of education credentials by automating administrative processes whilst protecting its value with anti-tampering technology, a solution that the firm is terming as TrustTech.

Accredify’s solution is built on decentralised ledger technology (DLT) to create Accredified education credentials which can be verified instantly with an online verifier portal or by scanning a QR code on the certificate itself. With DLT, data portability between disparate entities such as schools or employers, who previously had no mode of data transfer prior to Accredify’s solution, is ensured. This allows the cross-border and cross-institution sharing of education records, facilitating learner mobility. 

“Our focus on systems interoperability means institutions can transform their credential management processes overnight,” said Quah Zheng Wei, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Accredify, “Our system-agnostic API solution promises straightforward integration with any existing management system, which means our solution is highly scalable.”

Through Accredify, schools can create a digital template which is an exact replica of the physical certificate they currently issue in terms of design, font, and branding. Institutions can then create certificates by batch uploading student details into the template and have the required certificates automatically created into their designed digital certificates. These certificates can then be distributed to the entire cohort, with each certificate customised with a student’s name and identifying information, in less than a second.

“We have automated the entire credential management process for clients, who have on average experienced up to 50% man-hour reduction in the process of creating and issuing educational transcripts,” said Zheng Wei. 

Digital credentials will help to reduce the costs associated with printing, mailing or replacing lost certificates. This also means that institutions can ensure their operations are more environmentally friendly, with some of Accredify’s clients have saved up to a quarter of a million printed certificates with digital certificates.

It is for this reason that Accredify won the Blockchain - Education award at the recently concluded SBR Technology Excellence Awards, presented by Singapore Business Review. In its fourth year, the awards event lauds companies in Singapore that have pioneered ground-breaking IT products, solutions or initiatives that are leading the technological revolution and digital journeys of their respective industries.

“Our use of DLT also ensures the highest level of data privacy and security for our users. Learners are given ownership of their own educational history, which they can choose to share securely with institutions and verifiers, such as employers, when required,” said Zheng Wei.

Once students receive their certificates, they will immediately gain access to a secure digital app called the Accredify Digital Education Passport (DEP), a secure repository of all Accredified certificates which a student has been issued. Within the DEP, students can share their verifiable education certificates to LinkedIn, as well as choose to send the certificate to third parties via email, a link, or QR code. Additional privacy features within the DEP that were implemented to protect a student’s privacy include hiding personal fields such as their NRIC, date of birth, and home address when sharing a certificate, as well as setting an expiry date to the certificate’s shared email, link, or QR code. 

On the other end, employers can instantly verify any Accredify-issued education certificate and be assured of their candidate’s abilities thanks to Accredify’s anti-tampering technology.

Accredify is currently serving more than 30 education providers and is currently expanding into Australia, where it is offering its services to the nation's post-secondary institutions.

Moving forward, Accredify is exploring offering clients a data analytics tool and is working on transforming the higher education industry with micro-credentials. It has already collaborated with SMU Academy (SMUA) on the Learning and Development project, wherein Accredify and SMUA will evaluate an individual’s skillsets and recommend courses to plug in any gaps identified to allow individuals to stay ahead of the competition.

Watch the interview below to know more about their winning project: