Digital Badges - Frequently Asked Questions

What is a digital badge

Q. What exactly is a digital badge?

A. RQA Digital Badges were launched in 2024 and are exclusively for our members and event attendees. These badges are a symbol of your affiliation with our quality community or of your professional development through our training provisions and as such are also a mark of your commitment to excellence and continuous development. These Badges are easy to download and share and can be added to your email signature, LinkedIn profile, digital CV, personal website, and more. They are shared through our provider Virtualbadge.

Q. How will a digital badge be of benefit to me?

A. Why You'll Love Our Digital Badge:
•    Professional Recognition: Elevate your professional profile by showcasing your membership of or collaboration with a respected organisation
•    Networking Power: Enhance your networking opportunities by displaying your affiliation/collaboration, opening doors to new connections and possibilities.
•    Credibility and Prestige: Align yourself with the standards and values of our organisation, reinforcing your credibility in your professional circle.

Q. How do I know if I'm eligible for a Digital Badge?

A. Following renewal of your membership, confirmation of your new membership or completion of one of our applicable events, you will be sent an email from our Admin team informing you that you will receive a digital badge and information on how this will be shared with you. We are currently providing badges for all current RQA members and anyone who has attended one of our recent public professional development courses. We hope to extend this to conferences and other events in the near future along with our eLearning courses and certification scheme. 

Access

Q. How do I access my Digital Badge?

A. Following prior notification from our Admin team, you will receive an email from the RQA via VirtualBadges.io and this will contain information on how to validate and download your badge. Please check your junk mail and let us know if you haven’t received this email within 24 hours.

Q. I've received my email from VirtualBadges.io, how do I access the badge from there?

A. To validate your badge:
•    Click the ‘Get your badge’ button.
•    You will be taken to a URL where you need to agree to the terms of use by checking the box – you then have to choose which way to confirm your details. Access with email will send a code to your email.
•    Enter the code in the box and click ‘verify’ to get your badge.
•    You can now share either on social media or you can add badge to LinkedIn profile which will add it directly to your Licences and Certifications page. There is also a link to a validation page and a .png download on the ‘Your badge is ready’ page.

 

Sharing your digital badge

Q. I've posted my badge to LinkedIn, but it's listing it as a Certification. How do I add it as a badge?

A. The validation between Virtualbadge (our provider) and LinkedIn is to add it as a certification (as you would a course). If you want to add a badge to LinkedIn, you have to download the badge first using the PNG button on ‘Your badge is ready’ page and then post it manually – this page comes after you’ve validated your badge using the code provided.

Q. I'm having issues adding my badge to LinkedIn, do you have any further information you can provide?

A. You can find information on how to upload your digital badge to LinkedIn in this article from Virtualbadge.io. Although they discuss adding Certificates, the process is the same for badges as well.