Open Skills Network Announces Transition of the Open Skills Management Tool and Rich Skill Descriptors to Credential Engine
FEBRUARY 3, 2025 — The Open Skills Network is pleased to announce the transition of the Open Skills Management Tool (OSMT) and Rich Skills Descriptors (RSD) to Credential Engine, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating credential and skill transparency in the marketplace.
OSMT is a free, open-source platform designed to help organizations create, manage and share Rich Skill Descriptor-based skills libraries.
The transfer of OSMT to Credential Engine advances skills-based education and hiring practices by integrating it with the nonprofit’s Credential Registry, enhancing data connections and promoting standardization across the skills ecosystem. This strategic move facilitates a more collaborative approach, enabling partnerships between organizations, and creating a comprehensive infrastructure that aligns with the goals of the Open Skills Network to foster a more equitable labor market.
Employers, higher education institutions, and other stakeholders use OSMT and RSDs to collaboratively define and organize skills data in a standardized format, making skills translatable and transferable across educational institutions and industries. By fostering a common skills language, OSMT supports the development of skills-based education, hiring practices and workforce alignment.
“Credential Engine has contributed to the Credential Transparency Description Language data structure of RSDs since the beginning of this collaborative work, and this transition provides a clear path forward in keeping with our mission of advancing open skills data benefiting learners, workers, educators and employers,” said Scott Cheney, CEO, Credential Engine.
The Open Skills Network, managed by Western Governors University (WGU), launched in 2020 as a coalition of employers, educational organizations, technology providers and other stakeholders to advance skills-based education and hiring. The network’s goal is to create a more equitable, efficient and effective labor market that benefits individuals, employers and the broader economy. With initial support from Western Governors University, Walmart and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the network has grown rapidly and now includes more than 700 organizations.
The network established a community of practice in 2023 dedicated to sharing open skills implementation strategies and fostering collaboration on new projects and ideas. The community will continue to function under the WGU system, providing a platform for members to engage in skills-based education and hiring initiatives.
“We are grateful to the Walmart Foundation for supporting the creation of OSMT. Now, transferring OSMT to Credential Engine unlocks new opportunities for scaling skills-based practices, driving greater transparency and empowering organizations to build a more connected and equitable workforce,” said Sarah DeMark, interim executive director of the Open Skills Network and vice provost of Workforce Intelligence and Credential Integrity at WGU. “WGU remains deeply committed to facilitating and expanding skills-based education and hiring at the national level through the community of practice and as contributor to the Credential Registry.”
Benefits of the Transition
This transition unites three powerful forces in the skills ecosystem:
Enhanced Interoperability: Credential Engine's expertise in linked, open data schemas, specifically the Credential Transparency Description Language, will further enhance capabilities of OSMT and RSDs, making skills data even more accessible and shareable across various platforms.
Expanded Reach: Leveraging Credential Engine's extensive network of partnerships, OSMT will have the potential to reach a broader audience, accelerating the adoption of skills-based practices.
Continued Innovation: Credential Engine's commitment to open technologies aligns perfectly with OSMT's open-source nature, ensuring ongoing development and improvement of the tool in open communities.
Commitment to Openness and Accessibility
Under Credential Engine's leadership, OSMT will remain an open-source tool, freely available to the public. This commitment ensures that employers, educational institutions and other stakeholders can continue to create, manage and share RSDs without barriers.
The transition represents a significant step forward in creating a more transparent, efficient, equitable and ubiquitous skills ecosystem. Combining the strengths of OSMT, RSDs and Credential Engine has the potential to accelerate the shift towards skills-based education and hiring, empowering learners and workers to use their skills as currency in the modern talent economy.
