British Blockchain & Frontier Technologies Association

UAE to hold qualifications on a Blockchain

BBFTA News Editor | June 11, 2019 | PERMALINK

We wrote a few weeks ago about how the Singapore Government was developing a Blockchain-powered platform, allowing various Singaporean academic institutions to be able to enter their students' qualifications on to a Blockchain.

This is important because many CVs include information that is incorrect – in one survey of 5,000 CVs, it was found that 80% of CVs had at least one incorrect piece of information! By having qualifications and experience recorded on a Blockchain, it creates a transparent immutable record for relevant people to see.

It is understood that The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is now also going to be using Blockchain technology to hold and manage academic records, meaning that over 75,000 students’ qualifications will now be available online.

These are good examples of how Blockchains can help build trust and help to reduce fraud although, the users will not be aware of what technology is being used to make this happen - nor will they care.

How Blockchains can help identify fraudulent CVs

BBFTA News Editor | May 22, 2019 | PERMALINK

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.