Credentials and education

Credentials and education attainments are formal qualifications delivered by an accredited institution such as a college or licensing institution. The primary difference between the two is that education attainments are not renewable, such as a degree, but credentials must be renewed periodically. For example, a teacher's license.

Competency management uses credentials to track any renewable certification or license. For example, an organization that employs drivers can track their driver licenses.

Skills can be renewable, but they are not tied to a formal diploma or certificate. For example, some jobs require specific physical skills. Organizations want employees for whom these skills are essential to be periodically tested or retrained.

Credential setup consists of the name of the credential, the qualification source, the renewal cycle, and how much notification is required to renew the credential. If a Learning and Development activity is used to automatically renew the credential, the renewal date is the date that renewal activity is completed unless the setup specifies that the renewal date should be maintained. To maintain the renewal date, the setup must also include a range of days before and after the expiration date that the renewal activity must be completed.

The qualification source of the credential is usually important because licenses and board certifications are often valid for a specific state. When associated with a candidate or resource a specific date is added to the credential.

Note: A qualification source is not required when defining a credential in the application. If it is specified, the qualification is used on the job, position, or resource. A credential is specified if it is always or almost always issued by a single institution. For example, PMP comes from Project Management Institute for everyone who holds a PMP.

Education setup consists of an education attainment: a diploma or certificate, an education specialization, and the institution where the education was attained. The education specialization is not required. These three components are set up separately but are used in combination on the education record of a candidate or resource. Organizations can assign levels to education so that there can be a point of comparison. For example, an associate degree and a certificate from a technical or trade school can be assigned the same level.