With over 30% of CVs potentially containing fraudulent information, any way for HR departments to be able to check a candidate’s qualification has to be welcome.

The cost to get copies of your old “GCSE”, “O-level”, “A-Level”, or University degree certificate can be as much as £40 per qualification. The hassle factor in dealing both with and the time it takes, can be considerable for many existing analog databases. However, if the qualifications are held digitally, tamper-proof and securely on a Blockchain, employees, and employers alike, can efficiently have access to copies of the qualification documentation.

A research group at the University of Basel, in Switzerland, called Center for Innovative Finance, has been working on a project to put academic qualifications onto a Blockchain. Interestingly, it took less than two weeks to complete this initiative, demonstrating that using Blockchain technology can be implemented quickly.

Away from academia, the commercial world is also exploring the use of Blockchain-powered solutions to store qualifications, with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland doing a trial with PWC staff.

Governments are also using Blockchain technology to store educational qualifications. The Singapore government has developed “OpenCerts”, where it is possible to check qualifications from a variety of different academic institutions online, and so help potential employers identify fraudulent CVs.