In high-risk industries such as energy, construction, manufacturing, mining, and healthcare, the management and verification of credentials are crucial for ensuring compliance, safety, and trust. Verifiable Credentials, which are cryptographically secured digital certificates that can be authenticated in real-time, have emerged as a game-changer in the digital space. Credivera is a leading workforce management platform, primarily working within the high-risk industry sectors, and is changing the way credentials are issued, stored, and authenticated.
I had the opportunity to sit down with Dan Giurescu, Co-founder of Credivera, to explore how their platform is transforming the credentialing process, providing transparency and efficiency in critical sectors.
Credivera began as a response to the cumbersome process of managing and presenting credentials in high-risk industries. Giurescu’s experience in a previous tech company led him to recognize the importance of having the right credentials to sell to clients:
“My wife, who’s our CTO and co-founder at Credivera, and I had a previous tech company in 2009 through 2016 that focused on the transportation of dangerous goods, so we created the first digital supply chain solution for traceability of dangerous goods. It was a transportation company, a disposal facility and a waste generator – all working off of a single digital document to allow for visibility and traceability of what was said to be shipped, what was received and how it was disposed, and then provisioned information all the way back to the regulator.”
The company was eventually acquired in 2016 and during that process, Giurescu and his co-founder spent most of their time in field operations of energy companies and construction companies where they were implementing their technology. He explains,
“We started earning all these different credentials that had nothing to do with my day job. But if I wanted to sell to that client, I needed to have these credentials with me to present at the gate. So, I had to flip through my binder of credentials for each gate that I walked through, and somebody had to verify those.”
Giuresco emphasized the need for verification and why legitimacy is paramount,
“The RCMP, two years ago, uncovered a massive ring of falsified credential creators or credential mills in Alberta, and they had to put a stop to it because they were actually creating what are considered, in our in the hazardous industries, the most important keep-you-alive credentials and people were just buying them without ever doing the courses.”
Credivera streamlines the process of issuing, storing, and verifying credentials. Giurescu explains the platform’s workflow:
“Think of us as an orchestration platform… We provision the worker’s credentials using a digital wallet, and then we verify those credentials in real-time against the source issuer.
We created a workforce management platform that allows an employer to mandate worker specifications, including credentials required for specific jobs. And these credentials can range from health and safety credentials to professional designations, to licenses and more. The moment the employer creates this profile of a worker, they provision that to the worker using a digital wallet.”
Credivera’s web digital wallet allows the individual to select where they’ve received these credentials from what was requested of them. The company reverts to the source issuer of that credential for proof, and today, they have one of the largest network of source issuing bodies: 10,000 issuers from whom they can verify, in real time, against an individual claim.
Individual Ownership of Workforce Identity:
Credivera’s platform goes beyond traditional credentials by encompassing various aspects of workforce identity. Giurescu explains,
“Credivera ultimately allows individuals to own their workforce credentials and take them with them through their career journey… It encompasses their training certificates, background checks, association designations, drug and alcohol test credentials, and more.”
Interoperability is a key aspect of Credivera’s vision. Giurescu emphasizes the importance of different wallets being able to communicate with each other:
“The industry will have to go into a space of interoperability… Wallets will have to be interoperable, meeting one standard dID (decentralized identity) method to allow for the transportability of information.”
The challenge of maintaining credentials over time is addressed by Credivera through stackable credentials. Giurescu explains the solution:
“We’ve already solved the issue of maintaining credentials. We use stackable credentials and ultimately, the verifiable presentation to track continuing education requirements and allow individuals to see their progress.”
Continuing Education and the Stackable Credential
One of the significant challenges in high-risk industries is ensuring that workers maintain their skills and stay up-to-date with industry regulations. This requirement led Credivera to develop a solution that, not only handles traditional credentials, but also addresses the need for continuing education (CE) credits. Giurescu explains the significance of this feature:
“Credivera ultimately allows individuals to own their workforce credentials and take them with them through their career journey… It encompasses their training, background checks, association designations, drug and alcohol test credentials, and more.”
Continuing education credits play a vital role in various industries where ongoing learning is necessary to maintain professional certifications and designations. For example, in fields such as engineering, healthcare, and finance, professionals must accumulate a certain number of CE credits over a specified period to retain their qualifications.
Credivera has addressed this challenge by implementing stackable credentials and verifiable presentations. Stackable credentials enable individuals to track their progress towards meeting continuing education requirements. These credentials provide a clear snapshot of the number of hours or credits completed and those that are still required.
This feature empowers workers to stay informed about any gaps in their credentials and take proactive steps to address them. By having visibility into their progress, individuals can plan and prioritize their ongoing learning, ensuring they meet the necessary requirements to maintain their professional standing.
Stackable credentials, within the Credivera platform, offer a tangible solution to the challenges of maintaining certifications and designations. Instead of facing a daunting renewal process every few years, individuals can now track their progress on an ongoing basis. These credentials provide a visual representation of the specific CE credits or hours completed, making it easier for workers to understand their status and plan their educational activities accordingly.
The ability to stack credentials also has broader implications for workforce management and career progression. As individuals accumulate stackable credentials, they build a comprehensive and dynamic record of their professional development. This record showcases their commitment to ongoing learning and serves as a testament to their expertise and dedication.
Moreover, stackable credentials enhance the employability and mobility of workers. When individuals can present a comprehensive portfolio of stackable credentials, potential employers gain a holistic view of their qualifications and ongoing commitment to professional growth, promoting further confidence in the workforce and fostering career advancement opportunities.
What’s Next in 2023?
Credivera has gained significant traction since its inception, with tens of thousands of daily users across multiple industries and has since issued over 1.5 million verifiable credentials. Looking ahead, Giurescu shares the company’s goals for 2023:
“Our goal for 2023 is to continue growing the number of issuers in our network, empowering them to become verifiable credential issuers themselves, and ensuring interoperability across the board.”
Credivera is revolutionizing workforce credentialing in high-risk industries, empowering individuals to own and manage their credentials in an open and secure manner. They intend to streamline the end-to-end process of issuing, storing, and verifying credentials, to ensure compliance, safety, and trust.
Through the growing network of issuers, as well as their commitment to interoperability, Credivera is driving an industry example of a decentralized identity system that can be generalized to other sectors, benefitting workers, employers, and regulators alike.
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