There’s growing excitement across the learn-and-work ecosystem—among educators, employers, policymakers and technologists—about digital wallets that store verified academic achievements, skills, certifications and even work histories. Whether we call them skills wallets, learning and employment records (LERs) or digital credentials, the promise is the same: to help individuals carry proof of their capabilities in a secure, verifiable way.
However, as this conversation gains traction, something important is being left out. We’re not talking enough about digital ID wallets—the broader category of tools already being adopted around the world to store not just learning and work credentials but government IDs, driver’s licenses, social security numbers, proof of employment and more. These tools are the digital version of your physical wallet but much more powerful. They store third-party verified data, are often built using privacy-protecting technologies like decentralized identifiers (DIDs) and are increasingly integrated into public systems—from airports to healthcare to banking.
And now we’re seeing some momentum globally to bring these two concepts together to create one verified personal digital wallet that can carry all essential information about who you are and what you’ve done. This development raises an important question for the U.S. learn-and-work ecosystem: Should we keep educational and skills-based digital wallets in their own lane, or should we see them as part of a larger evolution—one that reflects technological advances and consumer demand for convenience, control and interoperability? Let’s unpack.
The Rise of the Skills Wallet
In the U.S., we’re seeing states and educational institutions build momentum around skills wallets and LERs. Wyoming is piloting a digital credential wallet for students and workers. Indiana’s Achievement Wallet helps learners track and share their verified skills. North Dakota’s Open Credential Publisher allows high school graduates to store diplomas and certifications and share them with employers or colleges.
The good news is that these systems offer individuals control over their verified records. They support skills-based hiring by making it easier for employers to verify competencies. They provide alternatives to traditional transcripts and offer mobility across education and employment systems. But there’s a catch: Many of these tools are being built in silos—disconnected from broader efforts to digitize and unify identity records.
Meanwhile: The Global Surge in Digital ID Wallets
Around the world, digital ID wallets are advancing quickly. The European Union launched its EU Digital Identity Wallet in 2024, aiming for interoperability across member states by 2026. India’s India Stack is a world-leading example of integrated digital identity and payment systems. In Africa, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region, countries are embedding digital wallets in systems for government services, banking and employment. These wallets already include or are starting to include credentials, licenses and certifications. And in places like Australia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), integrated digital IDs are beginning to offer people seamless access to public and private services using one identity layer.
These developments suggest a trend: We’re not just digitizing ID. We’re building platforms to carry all verifiable information about ourselves—identity, education, employment and even academic credit.
Why Integration Matters
So, why should the U.S. care about connecting learn-and-work wallets to digital ID systems? Because failing to do so could create fragmentation at a time when we need interoperability most.Imagine applying for a job and needing one wallet for your skills, another for your driver’s license and yet another for your social security verification. Or imagine trying to transfer learning credits across states or institutions using a tool that government agencies or employers outside your region don’t accept.
Right now, we have the opportunity to think holistically: to design credential systems that connect with identity systems in ways that increase security, mobility and user control.
We’re already seeing glimpses of this integration:
- Apple Wallet now supports digital driver’s licenses in states like California and Maryland.
- States like Arkansas and Montana are launching mobile ID apps alongside skills-based employment platforms.
- Blockchain-based tools like North Dakota’s Open Credential Publisher use decentralized identifiers, paving the way for integration with digital ID standards.
But the efforts remain fragmented.
Is There a Case for Keeping Things Separate?
Yes—and it’s worth considering.
Some argue that educational credentials and employment records are too context-specific to be lumped in with broad digital ID systems. Privacy advocates warn that combining identity and credentials could risk overexposing sensitive data, especially if used in hiring or government decisions. Others worry that overcentralization could lead to reduced individual user control or create single points of failure.
These are real concerns, but they’re not reasons to stay siloed. They’re reasons to design better systems. Integration doesn’t mean putting everything in one massive database. It means building interoperable layers, where users can choose what to share, with whom and for what purpose. In this model, individuals are in control, and systems work together behind the scenes to ensure trust and verification.
Moving Forward
So, where do we go from here?
A good start is more intentional dialogue between the communities building learn-and-work wallets and those advancing digital ID systems. Right now, they often operate in parallel. A next step is to adopt shared standards and taxonomies that allow record recognition across sectors and jurisdictions. Efforts like the W3C Verifiable Credentials, DIDs and Open Badges are already laying the groundwork. A third step is to design with the end user in mind. Whether we’re a student, job seeker, employer or governmental agency, the value of these systems is in how they simplify our life, not in how many new portals or logins they create. And finally, needed leadership—from state governments, institutions, funders and private-sector partners—to move from experimentation to alignment.
We have the technical capacity to pull our individual platforms together, and this could benefit us in ways we haven’t fully imagined. Let’s not wait until our systems are too fragmented to fix. Let’s build with connections in mind.
For more information: Growth of Digital Tools: Digital Wallets, Skills Passports, and Digital ID Wallets | Learn & Work Ecosystem Library
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