What APN Partners Need to Know About Changes to AWS Certification Digital Badges

By Beth Shepherd, Sr. Product Marketing Manager, AWS Certification

AWS Training & Certification recently announced enhancements to our AWS Certification digital badges, making it even easier to verify an individual’s earned certifications and to showcase your team’s certification achievements.

This post is for AWS Partner Network (APN) Partners to learn about changes in how AWS Certification digital badges are verified, and to advise badge earners they will need to update their badge links before August 1, 2020, in order to continue sharing their digital badge.

AWS Certification digital badges are automatically issued when a candidate earns an AWS Certification, or when an AWS Certification Subject Matter Expert (SME) meets participation criteria. As of April 28, 2020, new badges will be issued by Credly’s Acclaim platform rather than CertMetrics.

What Does This Mean for APN Partners?

With our new digital badges available on Credly’s Acclaim platform, AWS Certified individuals working for APN Partners have flexible options to identify and celebrate professionals and builders who have validated their knowledge and skills.

AWS Certified individuals can take advantage of one-click badge sharing on social media news feeds, send a badge verification email directly to an employer or prospective hiring manager, share a verification link to a single badge, or create a personal profile with all earned AWS Certification badges.

What Action is Required?

Credly’s Acclaim platform does require that earners create an account to accept a badge so the post includes instructions on how to access this platform and update their badge links.

To get started, AWS Certified individuals can sign into their AWS Certification account. Look for the Digital Badge tab, which links to Credly’s Acclaim platform where badges can be claimed and shared.

AWS Certification digital badges previously provided by CertMetrics for verification will need to be updated to the new digital badges by August 1, 2020. If you need assistance, you can contact us.

There is no change to our policy in which AWS Certification badges are valid for three years from date of issuance. AWS Certification SME badges do not expire. Badge visual design will not change.

What About Partner Scorecard Reporting?

AWS Certification digital badge enhancements do not change scorecard reporting for APN Partners. For APN Partners, the Certification Consent tool continues to be the best way to verify AWS Certification for employees.

APN Partners have the ability to track completed AWS Certifications, helping them monitor their APN tier requirements and progress in the number and types of AWS Certifications they have within their organization.

Learn more about how your team members can share their AWS Certifications. Visit APN Partner Central for instructions on how to add AWS Certification information to your partner scorecard.

As an APN Partner, having AWS Certified individuals on your team boosts your organization’s professional credibility by showing customers you have validated experience and skills using the AWS Cloud. It also helps AWS customers evaluate potential APN Partners to work with, as individuals who are trained and certificated on AWS show a clear commitment to AWS technology, services, and best practices.

With an industry-recognized credential from AWS, professionals can highlight their in-demand skills so you can identify talent. By verifying achievement with digital badges, you can be confident you’ve got a team with both the breadth and depth you need.

For more available AWS Certifications and exam preparation information, visit our website.