Edel Cassar is an educator by profession with an educational background in psychology, sociology, human resources and training. She started her career in teaching before moving on to specialise in EU projects, with a particular focus on funding coordination in the public sector. Edel occupied the position of Chief Executive Officer within the Commission for Further and Higher Education, the entity responsible for recognition, validation and accreditation of further and higher education. She now heads the National Skills Council and the Scholarships Unit within the Ministry for Education and Employment, and is also a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta.
ABSTRACT
Employers are concerned with identifying, retaining and developing talent. Employees are concerned with having evidence of their skills and competences. How can blockchain and digital credentials contribute to talent management from both the employer and the employees’ perspective?
Blockchain has the capacity to become a trusted service to check and validate the accuracy of information provided by job applicants. This could include checking things like education, skills, past work experiences and training courses completed – reducing the time spent by recruiters and hiring managers in verifying individual applications. Can the centrally notarisation provide respite for the employers from the challenges of identifying talent and providing evidence of talent? How can blockchain be used for regularly providing certification/evidence of skills and competences developed?
Blockchain transfers power from certificate-giver to the certificate-holder. Blockchain could also offer more personalised information management to job seekers and better match their profile with job offers. How does this impact the employers’ role in recruitment processes, talent management, and training and development? The digital divide persists and remains evident between different sections, factions, cohorts of the workforce. Some employees are more digitally inclined, able and willing and comfortable with the use of more IT tools in their work environment. Others remain aloof and trusty of more traditional working procedures. Could a wider use of blockchain and a dependence of it for evidencing talent possibly create a further divide for those employees less ICT-friendly?