Awero team

Quality Label for Open Badges: the key to trust and recognition in youth work and beyond

23 Jul, 10:13

Imagine receiving a seal of approval that not only enhances your credibility but also boosts your visibility and trustworthiness. That's precisely what the Quality Label offers. It serves as a symbol of quality, signifying the high standards of your badge-issuing activities within your sector and beyond.
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What makes the Quality Label remarkable is its ability to provide essential information, such as the name of the issuing body, issuance date, and validity period. This ensures easy recognition across various institutions and organizations, supporting your reputation in the process.
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But there's more to it than just recognition. Following the Quality Label and meeting its criteria can serve as a driving force for learning providers to deliver nothing less than exceptional content and activities for learners. Moreover, the process of earning the Quality Label is an enriching experience in itself. It not only validates your efforts but also helps you refine your skills and competencies related to badge recognition.
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Why a quality label? 
The Cities of Learning Network created the Quality Label to encourage more badge issuers to use badges and improve their quality and recognition. The project "Quality Label for Open Badges" aims to enhance the recognition of non-formal learning and youth work through the development and implementation of a quality standard and procedures for learning providers, aligning with European strategies for youth work recognition. Led by Breakthrough from The Netherlands in collaboration with Assonur Association (NUR) from Sardinia, Italy, Awero from Lithuania, BINS from Serbia, Tipovej from Slovenia and Nexes from Spain, the project seeks to establish a shared quality standard for learning providers, contributing to wider recognition of learning experiences and outcomes while promoting transparency and trust in digital open badges.
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The Cities of Learning Network introduces the Quality Label 
As part of project team efforts, the international training on quality label in badge recognition took place from 20th to 25th May 2024 in Serbia. Led by The Cities of Learning Network training team, this training offers a smooth transition into understanding and implementing of Quality Label standard and procedures for learning providers and the proposed technical solution to implement them on the Cities of Learning platform. This training aimed to develop knowledge, understanding and competencies related to the Quality Label, a novel standard we are establishing for badge issuers.
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Wondering who can receive a quality label? 
Learning providers who issue digital Open Badges in any field of education, learning and training, who are committed to upholding Quality Label standards in their badge-issuing activities can receive a Quality Label. The Quality Label can be issued to any organization or individual registered to the Cities of Learning or Badgecraft platforms with an Organiser account.
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Wish to receive a quality label?
The trainers who completed the international training will host workshops from September to December 2024 for learning providers. This is your chance to learn about the quality label and be among the first to apply to receive it. These workshops will be organized by project partners in six cities: Barcelona, Ljubljana, Novi Sad, Vilnius, Cagliari, and Rotterdam. Contact your local point for more information - you can find their details at the bottom of this blog.
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What are the key steps to obtain the Quality Label? 
The primary steps to obtain the Quality Label are straightforward:
- Registering as an Organiser on the Cities of Learning platform and requesting verification for your Organiser account.
- Completing relevant training - Quality label online playlist; 
- Submitting an application; 
- Passing a formal evaluation process.
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Your Local point: 
BARCELONA
﻿Nexes Interculturals SCCL﻿
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Contact person: 
Marta Piszczek
📩 info@nexescat.org
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LJUBLJANA
﻿Tipovej! 
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Contact person: 
Urška Česnik 
📩 urska@tipovej.org
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NOVI SAD
﻿BINS﻿
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Contact person: 
Zoran Milošević
📩 zokam94@gmail.com
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VILNIUS 
﻿Awero﻿
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Contact person: 
Nerijus Kriauciunas
📩 info@awero.org
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CAGLIARI 
﻿Assonur Association (NUR)﻿
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Contact person: 
Giulia Degortes Caivano
📩 giulia@assonur.org
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ROTTERDAM 
﻿Breakthrough 
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Contact person: 
Sandra Zoomer
📩 sandrazoomers@gmail.com
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If you are not located in any of the listed cities, please reach out to the Cities of Learning Network at info@learningcities.net for further information.
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The project is co-funded by the European Union through the ERASMUS+ program. This backing underscores the project's alignment with EU standards and its commitment to foster learning and development across borders. However, it is important to note that the views expressed in this news are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the EU.
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Badgecraft hosts this platform and develops it together with leading educational organisations. The European Union's programme Erasmus+ granted co-funding for building the first version of this platform. Contact support@badgecraft.eu.