On 23 February 2026, the Region of Learning, in partnership with the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA), hosted a packed launch event celebrating the rollout of the Employer Workplace Badge Suite, a milestone in building a truly badge-enabled region.

Employers, partners, training providers, and community organisations joined us to explore how digital badges are transforming skills visibility, recruitment, progression, and workforce development across Cambridgeshire & Peterborough.

🎤 Opening Remarks & Regional Vision

The event opened with remarks from Paul Bristow, Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, who highlighted the region’s ambition for innovation, opportunity and inclusive growth.
He emphasised that digital recognition is now central to the region’s skills strategy, supporting faster hiring, capability visibility, and more accessible pathways for people at every stage of employment.

Attendees also heard from Beth McCabe, Delivery Manager at Region of Learning, who shared the exciting news that the CPCA Digital Badging Strategy has now been approved, establishing a shared, trusted framework for digital credentials across employers, providers and community partners.

CPCA Update: Supporting Employers Across the Region, Nicola March

A strategic update covering:

CPCA’s offer to employers (Skills Brokerage, Internships/Talent Hive, Apprenticeships)

How digital badges align with the Local Skills Improvement Plan and regional priorities

Why CPCA is investing in digital recognition as part of workforce development

Presentation link - CPCA Employment and Skills

🆕 Launch: The Employer Workplace Badge Suite

We officially launched the Workplace Badge Suite — a collection of six free, ready-to-use digital badges employers can issue to staff and volunteers. They recognise the most in-demand transferable skills identified through the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP):

Problem Solving
Communication
Self-Motivation
Digital Literacy
Innovation
Customer Service Excellence

The suite is free for all employers, and the process is simple:

Become a Trusted Badge Issuer
Share a badge link or QR code
Employees claim and display their verified achievement

Badges can be added to LinkedIn, CVs, email signatures, staff profiles, and used in 1:1s or performance reviews

Presentation link - Region of Learning Presentation

💡 Why Digital Badges, Why Now?

Speakers highlighted several key challenges facing employers today:

Hiring is harder
Skills are evolving faster
CVs don’t show real capability

Digital badges offer verifiable, searchable evidence of skill, reducing time-to-hire, improving retention, and helping employers recognise capability consistently across teams.

Industry Insight: Accredible

We welcomed Nicole Ferguson, Director of Customer Delivery at Accredible, who shared global insights on digital credentialing and how employers are already using badges to unlock skills-based hiring and mobility.
Her keynote showed real-world examples of organisations using digital credentials to:

enhance internal mobility
support progression
modernise training and recognition systems
State of Credentialing Report
Presentation link - Accredible

🏢 Local Case Studies

We were proud to showcase powerful examples from local partners:

Cambridge Online – Marcus Whewell

Using badges to build digital confidence, recognise progress for learners, and support transitions into work and volunteering.

Presentation link - Cambridge Online

Inspire 2 Ignite – Alex Hughes

Demonstrating how badges help young people showcase skills beyond qualifications and engage employers in skills-based recruitment.

Presentation link - Inspire_2_Ignite

Badging in the Voluntary Sector

Support Cambridgeshire – Jigna Vyas Gosal

Sharing how badges are supporting volunteers, community groups, and cross-sector collaboration.

Presentation link - Support Cambridgeshire

🗣️ Panel Discussion: Building a Badge‑Enabled Region

Chaired by Alan Heppenstall, CTO of Accredible, our panel explored the future of skills-based hiring and the role digital badges will play.
Panellists included: