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| Voices from CredX2026 - Word Cloud by Taruna Goel |
Over the last two weeks, I have been reflecting on my experience at CredX2026 and trying to make sense of it all in terms of what was said, what I heard, what we discussed, and what needs to be done next.
A core part of my work sits at the intersection of systems that do not always speak the same language, yet are all working toward shared outcomes around competence, credentials, and workforce mobility. I am talking about industry, post-secondary, and government. CredX2026 brought all of these systems and people into the same room.
As we intermingled, it made me realize how the challenge is not just about translating across these systems. It is about building trust between them.
As Chad Doerksen from the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills shared at our table, “credentials are a proxy for trust.” If that is true, then Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is not simply an assessment mechanism or an alternative pathway to credentials. It is a way of making trust visible, portable, defensible, and valuable.
As Chad Doerksen from the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills shared at our table, “credentials are a proxy for trust.” If that is true, then Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is not simply an assessment mechanism or an alternative pathway to credentials. It is a way of making trust visible, portable, defensible, and valuable.
Which is why Julie Klein’s framing of “recognition as a verb” stayed with me. It shifts RPL from being a static system or policy into something active, relational, and ongoing, It is something we do constantly and intentionally, not something we design once and implement.
As I listened across sessions and conversations, I was struck by how much innovation already exists in the system. Jako Olivier from the Commonwealth of Learning presented the microcredential framework already working across the commonwealth but also reminded us that "while we call them microcredentials, there is nothing micro about the work", especially when situated within a broader lifelong learning context. Robert Luke from eCampus Ontario pointed to the growing importance of making skills visible through tools like Skills Finder and LMI-enabled curriculum stacks. Susan Forseille from Thompson Rivers University highlighted both the scale of PLAR in practice and future-facing ideas such as a provincial credit bank, along with important work on decolonizing and Indigenizing assessment methodologies. Sonia Hall from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction shared BC’s current initiatives, policies, and regional innovations in credentialing.
And yet, alongside all this progress, there was a quiet but persistent tension. Jackie Pichette from RBC Thought Leadership captured it well: “Change often starts at the margins. The problem is when it stays there.” RPL, microcredentials, and work-integrated learning are no longer fringe ideas, and yet they are still not fully embedded in how systems operate. As Jeremy McQuigge noted, it is time we reclaim these invisible systems. Because the challenge now is less about innovation and more about integration.
That tension becomes even sharper when viewed through current labour market realities. Tricia Williams, Future Skills framed the challenge within the realities of mid‑career disruption due to automation. Jeff Griffiths, leading the Alberta Talent Pipeline Management Initiative, noted that the system itself has changed, that the lack of entry-level jobs is a structural issue and how "we cannot credential our way out of it". At the same time, Rob Goehring from AI in BC observed, how skills are decaying faster than degrees are being updated. Nan Travers from Credential As You Go added another layer, reminding us that the quality and value of a credential are experienced differently by learners and institutions, and that while "AI may help us achieve efficiencies, we must remain intentional about effectiveness".
As I listened across sessions and conversations, I was struck by how much innovation already exists in the system. Jako Olivier from the Commonwealth of Learning presented the microcredential framework already working across the commonwealth but also reminded us that "while we call them microcredentials, there is nothing micro about the work", especially when situated within a broader lifelong learning context. Robert Luke from eCampus Ontario pointed to the growing importance of making skills visible through tools like Skills Finder and LMI-enabled curriculum stacks. Susan Forseille from Thompson Rivers University highlighted both the scale of PLAR in practice and future-facing ideas such as a provincial credit bank, along with important work on decolonizing and Indigenizing assessment methodologies. Sonia Hall from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction shared BC’s current initiatives, policies, and regional innovations in credentialing.
And yet, alongside all this progress, there was a quiet but persistent tension. Jackie Pichette from RBC Thought Leadership captured it well: “Change often starts at the margins. The problem is when it stays there.” RPL, microcredentials, and work-integrated learning are no longer fringe ideas, and yet they are still not fully embedded in how systems operate. As Jeremy McQuigge noted, it is time we reclaim these invisible systems. Because the challenge now is less about innovation and more about integration.
That tension becomes even sharper when viewed through current labour market realities. Tricia Williams, Future Skills framed the challenge within the realities of mid‑career disruption due to automation. Jeff Griffiths, leading the Alberta Talent Pipeline Management Initiative, noted that the system itself has changed, that the lack of entry-level jobs is a structural issue and how "we cannot credential our way out of it". At the same time, Rob Goehring from AI in BC observed, how skills are decaying faster than degrees are being updated. Nan Travers from Credential As You Go added another layer, reminding us that the quality and value of a credential are experienced differently by learners and institutions, and that while "AI may help us achieve efficiencies, we must remain intentional about effectiveness".
In that context, RPL begins to look less like an alternative pathway and more like essential infrastructure. A big part of that infrastructure is the "language of competencies" and the value of engaging industry extensively, not peripherally as highlighted by Dan McFaull. Margo Griffiths spoke about how behind every trusted credential is the data standard, governance and interoperability infrastructure. But the infrastructure here is not just technical; it is deeply relational. Jennifer Beale and Katie Fitzmaurice from Invest Vancouver spoke about the importance of “relational infrastructure” and the role of "neutral conveners in connecting systems". Joanna Jagger from WORTH Association emphasized “community over credentials,” while Darion from Teqare and Lynn White from ACCESS highlighted the value of empowering communities through training, achievement and self-sufficiency. Jodi Tavares from MyCreds Network reminded us that a "healthy ecosystem is connected, not competitive, and must remain focused on the mobility of the credential holder".
These are not just ideas; they are conditions required for trust to exist and scale.
Throughout the two days, I found myself returning to the book, Thinking, Fast and Slow. Much of the world around us is pushing us into fast, reactive thinking. We are reacting to AI, economic shifts, and global uncertainty. But CredX2026 created space for something different. It provide space to think about and share ideas for a slower, more deliberate, and more collaborative response rather than simply another reaction. And that shift in pace felt important, because systems change does not happen at the speed of reaction; it happens at the speed of alignment.
Which brings me to what feels like the most important takeaway. If recognition is truly a verb, if it is about continuously validating and translating learning across contexts, then we need to normalize it. David Porter’s call to “make RPL normal” may sound simple, but it carries tremendous weight. It challenges us to move beyond pilots and pockets of innovation toward something more embedded and systemic. We need to understand that RPL is not an exception or a shortcut. Recognition is simply about creating pathways that meet people where they are, not where the system expects them to start.
Throughout the two days, I found myself returning to the book, Thinking, Fast and Slow. Much of the world around us is pushing us into fast, reactive thinking. We are reacting to AI, economic shifts, and global uncertainty. But CredX2026 created space for something different. It provide space to think about and share ideas for a slower, more deliberate, and more collaborative response rather than simply another reaction. And that shift in pace felt important, because systems change does not happen at the speed of reaction; it happens at the speed of alignment.
Which brings me to what feels like the most important takeaway. If recognition is truly a verb, if it is about continuously validating and translating learning across contexts, then we need to normalize it. David Porter’s call to “make RPL normal” may sound simple, but it carries tremendous weight. It challenges us to move beyond pilots and pockets of innovation toward something more embedded and systemic. We need to understand that RPL is not an exception or a shortcut. Recognition is simply about creating pathways that meet people where they are, not where the system expects them to start.
In a system where skills are changing faster than credentials, and where industry, post-secondary, and government are all working toward shared outcomes, RPL is no longer an “alternative pathway."
This feels like a real opportunity particularly here in British Columbia for us to move from conversation to coordination. We are doing important work across sectors, but too often in parallel. Gregory W. Stone from BC Colleges noted how opportunities exist to re-vision and re-purpose what we have and how the most important question is "What is going to happen next?"
This feels like a real opportunity particularly here in British Columbia for us to move from conversation to coordination. We are doing important work across sectors, but too often in parallel. Gregory W. Stone from BC Colleges noted how opportunities exist to re-vision and re-purpose what we have and how the most important question is "What is going to happen next?"
Here's my call to action that I want to advocate for, support and be a part of:
The good? Industry, post-secondary, and government are all solving the same problem.
The what can be better? We just are not solving it together yet.
There is space for a cross-system RPL Community of Practice that brings together employers, post-secondary institutions, government, and other intermediaries (neutral conveners) for ongoing dialogue grounded in practice. So, not just to participate in conferences to share ideas, but to work together to build a shared language, toolkits and guidelines, competency frameworks and recognition-based credentialing models.
I am imagining a kind of a living network of practitioners and partners, of people and institutions, who are actively engaged in this work so that the connections transcend beyond LinkedIn and conferences like CredX into real work, pilots, shared projects and cross-system collaboration. That is what will help move credentials, recognition and validation from the margins to the centre.
Thanks to all the speakers, and to Tannis Morgan Adrian Lipsett, Erin, Hal and team, BCcampus Tracy Roberts Britt Dzioba, M.Ed. Helena Prins Gwen Nguyen Kelsey Kilbey, Future Skills Centre and the rest of the #CredX2026 team.
CredX2026 helped frame this important work and I hope we can move beyond episodic conversations and toward something more sustained.
I went into CredX2026 thinking about credentials. I left thinking about recognition and trust.
Recognition is not just a process. Not just a noun. It is a verb. Recognition is how trust moves across systems.
