CTDL Advisory Group

Last Updated on 3/13/2025

Advancing Global Credential Transparency

The CTDL Advisory Group (CAG) is a volunteer-driven community of experts dedicated to improving credential transparency and interoperability across education, workforce, and talent ecosystems worldwide.

The CAG brings together leaders from education, industry, government, and technology to explore strategic challenges and collaborate on solutions that enhance access to clear, comparable, and connected credential data. By guiding the evolution of the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) and strengthening its alignment with global data systems, the group plays a crucial role in supporting mobility, skills-based hiring, and lifelong learning opportunities.

Objectives

The CTDL Advisory Group’s primary objective is to provide strategic input and guidance to enhance credential transparency and interoperability across global education, workforce, and talent ecosystems. The group focuses on:

  • Improving global credential transparency by advising on the best ways to structure and share credential, learning, and skills data.
  • Recommending use cases where better data connections can help solve challenges in education, employment, and workforce mobility.
  • Contributing to the annual work plan for advancing transparency in credentialing and learning opportunity ecosystems.
  • Providing input on long-term strategies for making credential and competency data more accessible and usable worldwide.
  • Strengthening interoperability by advising on connections between credentialing data and other key workforce and education standards.
  • Exploring advancements and projects that improve how learning and employment systems communicate and exchange information.
  • Advising on governance and sustainability of open frameworks that support credential transparency over time.
  • Supporting discussions on extending data models to better capture the complexity of skills, credentials, and workforce needs.

Membership and Participation

The CTDL Advisory Group is open to anyone interested in improving credential transparency and interoperability. Participants include:
  • Credential issuers and educational institutions
  • Employers and workforce development organizations
  • Government agencies and policymakers
  • Standards organizations and technology providers
  • Researchers and data specialists in credentialing and workforce analytics
While all interested individuals can participate in discussions and meetings, Principal Members are nominated experts who provide strategic guidance based on their substantial contributions to credential transparency and workforce data initiatives. These members:
  • Represent diverse international perspectives and expertise.
  • Serve up to two consecutive annual terms to maintain a mix of experienced and new leadership.
  • Meet every other month (six times per year) to provide input on transparency-related initiatives, interoperability efforts, and governance models.

Governance and Leadership

The CAG follows an open participation model while incorporating structured leadership:
  • CAG Chairperson – Selected through a nomination process to provide strategic direction and leadership.
  • Principal Members – Nominated to play key roles in shaping advancements in credential transparency and global data interoperability.

How the Group Operates

The CTDL Advisory Group fosters collaboration, transparency, and innovation through:
  • Bi-monthly meetings (every other month) to discuss emerging trends, strategic priorities, and new opportunities for improving credential data.
  • Open participation, allowing any interested individuals to contribute to discussions on interoperability, governance, and use cases.
  • Opportunities to provide input into the annual CTDL work plan and global transparency projects.
  • Involvement in initiatives that strengthen data connectivity between education, workforce, and technology systems.
  • Collaboration with global organizations to align transparency efforts with global workforce mobility and credentialing needs.

How to Get Involved

Anyone interested in staying current on and contributing to global credential transparency efforts is encouraged to join the CTDL Advisory Group. Participation provides a unique opportunity to help shape the future of connected credentialing systems, engage with leading experts, and drive global adoption of open frameworks.

Join the CTDL Advisory Group

For more information, please email: info@credentialengine.org

Resources

CTDL Advisory Group Join Form: https://credentialengine.org/advisory-groups/ctdl/p
CTDL Advisory Group Charter: CTDL Advisory Group Charter Accepted April 11 2023
CTDL Advisory Group Shared Folders:
    2025 CTDL Advisory Group Shared Folder
    2024 CTDL Advisory Group Shared Folder