CERTI Microcredentials

Verified Skills. Demonstrated Competence. Career Readiness.

At Emmanuel College, learners develop the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to succeed in graduate study, professional careers, and lifelong learning. CERTI microcredentials provide a way to document and communicate those achievements through verified, competency-based digital credentials. 

A CERTI microcredential recognizes proficiency in a specific skill, competency, or professional practice. Each badge documents achievement of a defined competency assessed against established performance standards. CERTI credentials are issued through Parchment, a secure digital credential platform that allows learners to store, share, and verify their credentials. 

What is a CERTI microcredential?

Every badge is issued through Parchment, a recognized third-party verification platform, so anyone can click through and see exactly how you proved what you can do.

CERTI — Certified Employment Ready Training Initiative — is Emmanuel's badge system for validating employment-ready skills across the College. A CERTI microcredential doesn't certify that you sat through a class; it certifies that you demonstrated a specific skill to a qualified assessor.

Why Emmanuel builds microcredentials this way

Emmanuel students already do real, industry-standard work as part of the curriculum. A microcredential is what turns that work into something you can hand an employer directly: validated proof of a skill, not just a grade in a course.

That's the idea behind every badge Emmanuel builds, across every school. It starts with CERTI Technical: Laboratory Skills, our first microcredential offering, launching Fall 2026 out of the School of Science & Health, and it's designed to grow from there. Every badge is reviewed by industry and faculty experts and approved by the College's Curriculum Committee before it's ever offered, so a badge always means the same thing, no matter which academic school it comes from.

Explore Our Microcredentials

CERTI: Laboratory

How it works

  1. Enroll in the badge program. Email badging [at] emmanuel.edu to learn more. If you're in credited coursework that offers badging (like BIOL 1105), you'll have the option to opt in once the course starts.
  2. Demonstrate the skill to a qualified assessor — faculty or an industry expert in the field — not just attendance.
  3. Earn the badge. Issued through Parchment. Postable to LinkedIn, attachable to a resume, verifiable by anyone.

How badges are leveled

Not every badge means the same level of mastery, and Emmanuel's badges say so. A Foundational badge shows you can follow a procedure with support. Proficient means you can apply the skill independently. Advanced means you can design, optimize, or lead complex work with it. Some badges also stack along a pathway into a larger “meta badge” once you've earned a full set, so your Parchment profile builds into a fuller picture of what you can do over time.

How future employers recognize the credential

An Emmanuel microcredential gives employers confidence in hiring, knowing that our students have proven they have the industry-required skills to meet job demand — validated through Parchment's secure, encrypted credentialing platform.

For Faculty

Interested in proposing a badge for your course or program? All academic microcredentials are reviewed with industry and faculty experts and approved through the College's Curriculum Committee. Reach out to badging@emmanuel.edu to get started.

FAQs

Emmanuel's first microcredential offering is CERTI: Laboratory, a collection of competency-based laboratory credentials developed through the School of Science & Health. Additional microcredentials are planned across academic disciplines and professional pathways as the CERTI framework expands. 

Through Parchment, which is the same platform where Emmanuel students access their transcripts (and diploma upon graduation). Every badge links to a verification page showing exactly what was demonstrated, when, and in what course. 

A digital badge that certifies a specific skill, separate from a degree or course grade — issued by the institution and confirmed by a third-party verification platform. 

It depends on the assessment behind them. A badge tied to a demonstrated skill, verified by faculty and confirmed through a recognized platform, carries more weight than a completion certificate with no assessment behind it. 

Badges are leveled Foundational, Proficient, or Advanced, based on how independently you can perform the skill. Some badges also combine into a larger “meta badge” once you've completed a full set. 

Learners retain access to their credentials through Parchment and may choose how and when to share them with employers, graduate programs, and other stakeholders. 

CERTI credentials can be shared through LinkedIn, résumés, professional portfolios, graduate school applications, and other professional networking platforms. 

Most credentials do not expire. Any expiration, renewal, or recertification requirements, if applicable, will be clearly indicated within the credential record. 

Yes. New badges will continue to be developed across additional schools, courses, and programs as new skills and opportunities emerge. 

Reach out to badging [at] emmanuel.edu (badging[at]emmanuel[dot]edu) and you’ll get set up with a meeting with representatives from the Office of the Registrar and Academic Affairs. All academic badges are reviewed by industry and faculty experts and go through the College's Curriculum Committee for approval. 

CERTI credentials are awarded when learners successfully demonstrate competency against established performance standards. Assessment methods vary by credential and are developed by faculty and subject matter experts.