Welcome to the For the Love of Learning Podcast!
In this first episode, I am exploring an opportunity for the Ministry of Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development to go mobile with their training transcripts.
I look forward to hearing from you! Share your comments, ideas and feedback below or contact me directly (contact info).
Companion Documentation
Hi Megan,
Accessibility is critical at a job site, and the Mobile Micro-Certifications App bridges the gap that many professions experience daily. The employer has access anytime and anywhere simply by using a QR Code. My only concern is the privacy of employee information. I recognize that the information is certifications and not highly sensitive, but protocols are required to determine who has access to the information. For example, supervisors only have access to the crews that report to them. The app will resolve a lot of miscommunication and delays due to a lack of information about employees, but privacy may be an issue for many workers. I enjoyed listening to your podcast and visiting your website. Excellent job and great idea!!!
Hi Megan, your forecasting project is a forward-thinking initiative that should be more than attainable with present (and certainly future) technology. Like others have commented, it surprises me that this does not already exist! For six seasons I worked as a forest firefighter and can directly relate to the situations you describe, particularly fast-paced briefings where supervisors are covering for another supervisor. Too often crew members were unsuccessfully assigned to tasks that they were not trained to do (and because of the dynamic of the field, many workers did what they were told, based on the belief that if they were assigned it, they must be able to do it). While I appreciate this “chain of command” style is an effective way to work within the constraints of ever-changing environments, the reality is that too often supervisors don’t know the background of their workers, putting people at [otherwise avoidable] risk. I appreciate your distinction that this micro-credentials mobile app is not a training platform but a way to share transcripts (courses, credentials, badges, expiry dates, etc.) with employers, to adequately equip supervisors. As for your presentation itself, it is well organized, concise, and easily absorbable. Well done!
This is a great idea, Megan, and very clearly presented with solid goals and arguments for. It surprises me that this does not exist already. I hope this is something you are actually creating, and if not, that you consider it, as its strikes me that there’d be a market for this.
Hi Megan,
I thought this was a very cool idea and I liked your podcast! I think it has other applications too outside of this industry as I know my brother who is a mechanic often has to recertify and probably couldn’t tell you where any of that paperwork is so this would be very helpful in his industry as well and also in computer engineering as many of those engineers recertify in different technology on different timelines so I also wonder if it could be used in a similar fashion as we are using the QR codes with covid in an apple wallet? It would be great to have micro-credentials or certifications stored as an app that would easily accessible, track everything you have with the dates for renewal – I think this has great future possibilities.
Hi Megan!
As someone who knows nothing about training in safety sensitive industries, you created a clear and concise presentation that anyone can follow and understand the potential of your application. I loved the idea of producing a podcast episode to coincide with your project, it added a certain uniqueness to your post. I think this type of application has the potential to eventually add other fields of work that have similar needs !
Hi Megan,
From an outsider’s perspective (having very little insight into the world of Labour, Training and Skills Development, particularly in such fields as mining), your projection seems like a glaring asnwer to the missing piece/problem at hand. I would imagine that creating a mobile solution like your proposed Mobile Micro-certifications App could also improve on-site efficiency of work flow and lower the chances of accidents occurring on-site. Just out of curiosity, how do site managers currently access their crews credentials/certifications on a given day? To echo our peers comments so far, I think this micro-credentials app idea has far-reaching potential across many different sectors!!
Excellent presentation, Megan! I really liked how you used a podcast to introduce the topic, followed by a slide show to dive a little deeper into how the app works. I think the app has legs! Where would a worker carry their QR codes? Perhaps their personal devices? I like the idea of linking the micro-credential to the LMS (somehow??). Maybe that’s difficult to do as these workers are not receiving their training from one location.
Hello Megan! I find your concepts on ‘micro-credentials’ to be extremely intriguing. i can see this platform becoming incredibly useful for any number of bureaucratic institutions or processes, as having proper documentation and file sharing becomes a logistical nightmare the more complex of a system you become involved in. As Sam mentions in his comment, University transcripts immediately come to mind, as getting different institutions to talk to each other and share files or educational documentation can be an extremely esoteric struggle, and often involves no small amount of effort on the student’s behalf. If we were able to generate a simple-to-use, universal credential sharing system, it could really increase both the efficiency of these processes, but also decrease the amount of stress and difficulty experienced by individual users. A fantastic concept that has a multitude of application potentials!
Hi, Megan! Thank you for the vision and outline of what could be put into place! This concept has so many applications for so many industries/markets that are highly regulated and have certifications or other training requirements that need to be maintained. You really could develop something that could be scaled and designed for different industries or professional associations that could be incorporated into member dues. In creating your A3, did you contemplate how this may be turned into a scalable technology that could be “sold” to other industries?
Cool concept Megan. I think these micro-credentials could be integrated with blockchain technology to maintain a secure and encrypted structure.
There has been similar discussions involving several universities around a blockchain configuration for transcripts as well.