APIDM launches new Digital Credentialing Initiative with Credly and Everitas

From left: APIDM CEO Amitha Amarasinghe, Credly – USA CEO Jonathan Finkelstein and Everitas – Australia Director/Founder David Kinsella 

Asia Pacific Institute of Digital Marketing (APIDM), Sri Lanka’s leading digital marketing skills training provider, has become the first in the region to offer digital credentials to its successful program graduates through its landmark partnership with Credly, the global leader in digital credentials and Everitas, Australia’s leading digital credentials consultancy.

With this partnership, APIDM aims to bridge the skills and communications gaps between credential earners and employers. Digital badges offer a transparent and reliable way of showcasing qualifications to the benefit of both certificate holders and prospective employers.

This initiative is part of APIDM’s ambitious growth plans to become the most respected marketing skills provider for the APAC region by 2024. APIDM is already the first Sri Lankan digital skills provider to be accredited by the CPD certification service in the UK.

APIDM CEO Amitha Amarasinghe said the need for the scheme had become far more acute over the past 12 months due to the acceleration of digital transformation across many industries caused by the pandemic. He said: “We saw massive growth in the online education sector as well with more and more people electing to do professional upskilling programs online. At a certain point, it almost became impossible for someone to recognise the real good quality professional qualifications from mediocre programs developed with less rigour. APIDM wanted a way to distinguish the level of proficiency of our qualification holders in an internationally recognised way. We are proud to say that our partnership with Everitas and Credly has enabled us to achieve the said objective”

“This move will enable the qualified students of APIDM to distinguish their proficiency and stand out in the field, while the organisations that face many challenges in attracting high-quality candidates will benefit by having a trusted source to identify and verify the talent,” Amarasinghe further added.

APIDM Manager - Operations and Student Success Shareena Lantra said: “By providing a secure, digital representation of APIDM certifications our students, trainers and employees can more easily manage, share and make use of their credentials within their networks, across social media platforms and on their resumes. For employers, our new digital badges make it easy to identify individuals with the skills they need to build an effective marketing function.”

Credly CEO Jonathan Finkelstein said: “Businesses are now keenly aware of the direct connection between the skills of their employees and the growth potential of the company.

Digital credentials like those offered by APIDM help employers make better human capital decisions, while ensuring individuals achieve their full professional potential.”

Everitas, Australia’s leading digital credentialing consultancy and Credly representative in the Asia Pacific region, provided regional support to APIDM in the development and launch of their digital badging program.

Everitas’ Founder and Director David Kinsella said: “It is an honour to work with APIDM on this initiative, and inspiring to work with its leadership team, who not only display great vision for the future of regional professional development but also understand that delivering high-quality marketing education programs is more than simply transferring knowledge. It is about delivering outcomes to better connect programs participants with professional opportunities, and strengthening relationships with alumni for long term mutual benefit. APIDM digital credential program will play a vital role in making this vision a powerful reality, and will ultimately provide wide-ranging benefits for the regional economy overall.”

For more information about APIDM’s digital credential program, visit https://www.apidm.lk/digitalbadges