Experts from Education, Business to Hold Digital Badging Meeting

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - July 29, 2015 - PRLog -- Sacramento, Calif. (July 29, 2015) – Digital badging, a concept that has slowly gained traction with educators and professional growth experts since 2010, is going mainstream. Now, the practice of awarding students and employees recognition with a digital badge representing their accomplishments, interests or affiliations will be the subject of a high profile advisory group summit in Sacramento.

The Digital Badging Advisory Group meeting, slated for August 7, will be co-facilitated by the New World of Work initiative through the Doing What Matters framework at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship and the Foundation for California Community Colleges.

“Digital badging is viewed by many employers and educators as a valid way to measure skills,” said Rajinder Gill, 21^st Century Skills project director for New World of Work. “To share ways that digital badging can be implemented across a variety of professional and educational platforms, we’re bringing together around a dozen leaders from all sides of the spectrum: the community college system, our state government, and the business community.”

The group, which includes representatives from several California community colleges in addition to the Workforce Investment Board and the California Hospital Association, will provide input on digital badge assessments that can be administered to students before they enter the workforce. The badging assessments will be incorporated into the Foundation for California Community Colleges’ LaunchPath program for widespread access.“The goal is to create digital badges for the 21st Century Skills new professionals need to succeed,” Gill said. “We want to create a bridge between education and employers, by implementing the gamification concept that has worked so well in a variety of professional contexts.”

In order to implement a digital badging program applicable to millennial-aged college students and new graduates, the advisory group includes reps from the young professional and new media communities. “We have an executive from PopSugar coming to participate,” Gill said, “as well as the founder and CEO of HackerLab. These are Northern California-based companies that other young brands are striving to emulate, so their input will be of tremendous value.”

The Digital Badging Advisory Group meeting will take place on Friday, August 7 at Residence Inn, 1121 15th Street, Sacramento. The meeting is scheduled from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Members of the press are invited to attend, interview participants and inquire about digital badging.

About New World of Work
New World of Work (NWOW) is translating tomorrow’s work trends into real opportunities for today’s learners. The group designs lessons and curriculum that teach critical 21^st Century Skills through innovative methods, including experiential learning, gamification and more. Based in the California community college system, NWOW specializes in career technical education, entrepreneurship education and economic workforce development.