Interoperability of Governance: Unlocking Cross-Border Mobility

Can we use digital identity wallets to facilitate a seamless, trusted system for recognising and verifying micro-credentials across borders? The Micro-Credentials and Digital Identity Wallets (MC-DIW) project, funded by NGI Sargasso and led by the 3CL Foundation and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) addressed this question. The project explored how technical, legal, semantic and governance interoperability between the British Columbia Wallet (BC Wallet) and the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW) could enhance lifelong learning, workforce mobility, and institutional collaboration between British Columbia, Canada, and the EU.

By engaging leading experts from Digital Identity & Cybersecurity, Higher Education & Learning Technologies, Government & Policy and Technology & Innovation, the project identified both challenges and opportunities in aligning governance models to support cross-border recognition of micro-credentials.

The Fragmented Micro-Credential Landscape

Micro-credentials are emerging as key tools for upskilling and lifelong learning, but their development and recognition vary significantly between Canada and Europe:

In British Columbia, a Micro-credential Framework was introduced in 2021 (updated in 2024) to standardise and coordinate offerings. A Micro-credential Toolkit, launched in 2023, provides resources to help post-secondary institutions develop and deliver these programs effectively. Since 2020, over 200 micro-credentials have been funded across B.C.’s public post-secondary system. Under the StrongerBC: Future Ready Action Plan, efforts continue to expand and refine micro-credential programs to align with evolving labour market needs.
In the EU, the Council of the EU adopted a Recommendation on June 16, 2022, to support the recognition, quality, and cross-border comparability of micro-credentials across sectors and Member States. The Recommendation defines key standards for micro-credentials, ensuring they are comparable, portable, and widely recognised. It aligns education providers, businesses, and policymakers to build trust in micro-credentials across Europe. Micro-credentials are a key part of the EU’s vision for the European Education Area by 2025, supporting skills development, workforce adaptability, and social inclusivity.
In both regions: micro-credentials have been embraced by higher education institutions as a means of securing a degree via a ‘stacked approach,’ where students accumulate micro-credentials as a means of securing a graduate degree, at par with students that have followed full-time programs. This approach is particularly attractive to mature students looking at more flexible ways of graduating through ‘top-up’ study units. The demand for more flexible, learner-centred forms of education and training continues to increase, and micro-credentials also have the potential to offer education and training opportunities to a wider range of learners, including disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. The real opportunity for micro-credentials to become mainstream lies within the labour market, through the accreditation of work-based, professional and informal learning. To date, and particularly within higher education, attempts to secure common standards for micro-credentials have been unsuccessful. The prevailing belief within the education sector is that without common standards ensuring their quality, transparency, cross-border comparability, recognition and portability, micro-credentials cannot reach their full potential. This may not be the same view within the labour market.

While both approaches emphasise lifelong learning, workforce relevance, and quality assurance, B.C.’s strategy is regionally focused, supporting local institutions and labour market needs, whereas the EU prioritises international comparability and mobility. In British Columbia, the Micro-credential Framework provides a structured approach to standardising offerings within the provincial post-secondary system. A Micro-credential Toolkit helps institutions develop and deliver these programs effectively. The StrongerBC: Future Ready Action Plan ensures alignment with local labour market demands. In contrast, the EU’s approach is designed to create a harmonised system across Member States, ensuring cross-border recognition, quality assurance, and micro-credential portability. The EU’s framework establishes common standards, integrating education providers, businesses, and policymakers to facilitate international trust and mobility. While B.C.’s model is tailored to its provincial workforce needs, the EU’s strategy supports broader economic and social integration across Europe, backed by Erasmus+ funding, Europass integration, and cross-sector collaboration.

Governance Over Technology: The Key to Interoperability

While technical interoperability is essential, experts agree that governance alignment is even more critical. Without a common governance framework, even technically compatible systems could struggle to achieve mutual recognition and trust. Key governance challenges identified include:

Defining clear standards for credential issuance, verification, and revocation.
Establishing cross-border recognition rules to ensure credentials earned in one jurisdiction are accepted in another.
Balancing centralised and decentralised models—some stakeholders favour a government-backed trust framework, while others advocate for self-sovereign identity (SSI) approaches that give users control over their credentials.
Aligning privacy and data protection standards between Europe’s GDPR and Canada’s PIPEDA, ensuring user control over credential sharing.

A hybrid governance model—combining the security of government-issued credentials with the flexibility of decentralised systems—emerged as a promising solution.

Unlocking Workforce Mobility and Recognition

A well-governed, interoperable system for micro-credentials could transform cross-border workforce mobility.

A Canadian healthcare professional could have their credentials recognised in the EU without needing additional certification.
A European data science graduate could confidently apply for jobs in Canada, knowing their micro-credential is verifiable and accepted by employers.

To achieve this, employer engagement is crucial. Employers must be actively involved in the design and validation of micro-credentials to ensure they meet industry standards and hold value in the job market.

Higher education institutions must also integrate micro-credentials into degree pathways, making them more stackable and transferable rather than treating them as standalone supplementary learning.

Addressing Technical Barriers and Trust Models

From a technical perspective, the BC Wallet and EUDIW operate on different architectures—blockchain-based versus hybrid models—raising interoperability challenges. Experts identified key solutions:

Developing common metadata standards to ensure credentials issued in one jurisdiction are understandable and verifiable in another.
Aligning trust frameworks, as the EU’s eIDAS2 regulation provides a clear legal basis for trusted digital identities, while Canada lacks a comparable national framework.
Exploring hybrid trust models that blend centralised verification mechanisms with decentralised, user-controlled identity management.

A shared governance body could help oversee credential verification, define recognition guidelines, and establish interoperability protocols.

The Road Ahead: Pilots, Policy Alignment, and Next Steps

Stakeholders emphasised that real-world pilot projects are needed to test governance models, focusing on sectors where credential portability has an immediate impact—such as healthcare, engineering, and information technology.

Additionally, policy alignment is essential. Developing bilateral agreements between Canada and the EU could create a legal foundation for mutual recognition of micro-credentials and credential verification.

A shared governance framework—combining technical standards, policy alignment, and user-centric design—will be essential for supporting lifelong learning, workforce adaptability, and cross-border mobility in an increasingly globalised education and employment landscape.

Acknowledging Our Experts

We extend our sincere gratitude to the experts and stakeholders who contributed invaluable insights to the MC-DIW project:

Ignacio Alamillo Domingo – Digital Identity and Trust Services Expert
Lluis Alfons Arino Martin – Digital Strategist, Rovira I Virgili University
Ben Biedermann – Leader, WIDE+ Consortium
Larry Bouthillier – Executive Director, Extended Learning, University of British Columbia
Joni Brennan – President, DIACC (Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada)
Joanne Duklas – Executive Director, Groningen Declaration Network
Alen Horvat – Digital Identity Architect
Leif Johansson – Identity Management Expert, SUNET
John Jordan – Executive Director, British Columbia Digital Trust Service
Teemu Kääriäinen – Senior Advisor, Finnish Ministry of Finance
Adam Lemmon – Director, MATTR Labs
Jean Marie Mifsud – Chief Innovative Technology Officer, Malta Digital Innovation Authority
David Porter – Independent Consultant
Jodi Tavares – Executive Director, ARUCC (Association of Registrars of the Universities and Colleges of Canada)
Klaas Wierenga – Chief Information and Technology Officer, GÉANT

Their contributions were pragmatic, and instrumental in focusing on both the potential and several challenges in the way of enhancing interoperability, strengthening lifelong learning, and supporting workforce mobility between the European Union and British Columbia.

Final Thoughts

The MC-DIW concludes that much more needs to be done to improve governance interoperability between the EU and British Columbia. By aligning trust frameworks, policy approaches, and technical infrastructure, we can build a future where micro-credentials are seamlessly recognised across borders, empowering learners, professionals, and institutions alike. The ongoing geo-political uncertainty triggered by the US administration actually opens up opportunities for renewed governance collaboration between the EC and Canada.

The journey continues—through collaboration, policy innovation, and technical refinement.

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