Cleared for Takeoff: Blockchain and the Future of Professional Credentials

09 Jul 2024

09 Jul 2024 by Luke Puplett - Founder

"I've logged 500 hours on the General Electric GE90 in the last year," claims the eager applicant. But how can recruiters be certain? In the high-stakes world of aviation, where lives depend on pilot competence, verifying flight experience isn't just bureaucracy—it's a legal necessity.

But what if she could flip open her Coinbase wallet and prove it?

Introduction

Current regulations demand meticulous proof of a pilot's recent flight time and aircraft types flown. Yet, the industry still largely relies on paper logbooks and manual verification processes, leaving room for errors and, in rare cases, outright fraud.

This painstaking verification process is more than a headache for HR departments; it's a critical safety measure mandated by aviation authorities worldwide. But in an age of digital innovation, surely there's a better way?

Enter blockchain technology, offering a potential revolution in how we record and verify professional credentials. It could spell the end of 'fake it till you make it' in industries where such practices aren't just frowned upon—they're downright dangerous.

This article explores how blockchain might transform record-keeping in aviation and beyond, promising a future where your skills and experience are instantly verifiable and tamper-proof. Buckle up as we navigate the possibilities and challenges ahead.

Current Challenges in Aviation Record-Keeping

Imagine a recruiter sifting through stacks of pilot logbooks, cross-referencing flight times with aircraft records, and manually verifying each claimed certification. This isn't a scene from the 1980s—it's how many aviation companies still operate today.

The current system faces several key issues:

• Time-consuming manual verification

• Vulnerability to forgery or exaggeration

• Difficulty in quickly assessing a pilot's recent experience

• Inconsistent record formats between different operators and countries

These challenges don't just create headaches for HR departments. They can potentially compromise safety if inaccuracies slip through the cracks. As the aviation industry continues to grow and face pilot shortages, the need for a more efficient, secure method of verifying pilot qualifications becomes increasingly critical.

Blockchain: Revolutionising Professional Credentials

Blockchain technology isn't just set to transform aviation records - it could overhaul how we verify professional credentials across numerous regulated industries. This digital ledger system offers a secure, transparent, and efficient way to track and verify a professional's qualifications, experience, and ongoing development. Let's explore how this could work in practice:

1. Comprehensive Digital Records

• Time Tracking: Whether it's a pilot's flight hours, a surgeon's operating time, or a lawyer's billable hours, all could be logged directly onto a blockchain-based system. This creates an immutable record of time spent practicing in specific roles or performing particular tasks.

• Equipment Proficiency: The system could track which specific tools, machinery, or software a professional has used and for how long. For example, a pilot's experience with different aircraft types or a surgeon's proficiency with various surgical robots.

• Certifications and Qualifications: All degrees, licenses, and additional certifications would be recorded and easily verifiable.

• Continuing Education: Ongoing professional development activities, workshops attended, and courses completed would be automatically updated.

2. Instant Verification

Recruiters, regulatory bodies, and clients could instantly verify a professional's entire history with a single query. This would eliminate hours of manual checks and reduce the risk of CV fraud. Imagine an emergency room being able to instantly verify a doctor's qualifications and specific experience before allowing them to perform a critical procedure.

3. Standardisation and Global Recognition

A universal blockchain system could standardise record formats across different organisations and countries. This would be particularly valuable for professionals working internationally, as it could simplify the often complex process of having qualifications recognised across borders.

4. Smart Contracts for Compliance

Automated systems could use smart contracts to flag when professionals need to update their certifications or complete continuing education. For instance:

• A lawyer could be automatically notified when they're due for their next continuing legal education credits.

• A pilot could receive an alert when they're approaching the limit of their flight time and need to take mandated rest.

• A doctor could be reminded when it's time to renew their medical license or complete required training on new procedures.

5. Equipment and Skill Decay Tracking

The system could also monitor how recently a professional has used specific skills or equipment. This is crucial in fields where skills can deteriorate without regular practice. For example:

• A pilot's recent experience with instrument landings could be tracked to ensure they meet currency requirements.

• A surgeon's recent history with particular types of operations could be monitored to maintain proficiency.

6. Portable, Self-Sovereign Credentialing

Professionals would have a secure, portable record of their entire career. This self-sovereign identity would be under their control but easily shareable with potential employers, clients, or regulatory authorities. It could include not just formal qualifications, but also:

• Projects worked on

• Specific competencies demonstrated

• Peer reviews and endorsements

• Performance metrics (with appropriate privacy controls)

7. Enhanced Security and Fraud Prevention

Once recorded on the blockchain, data cannot be altered without leaving a trace. This significantly reduces the risk of qualification fraud or embellished CVs. It also provides a secure backup of professional records, protecting against loss or destruction of paper documents.

8. Integration with IoT and AI

In the future, blockchain systems could potentially integrate with Internet of Things (IoT) devices and Artificial Intelligence:

• IoT devices could automatically log equipment usage or practice hours.

• AI could analyse performance data to suggest areas for professional development or flag potential safety issues.

This system could benefit a wide range of fields beyond aviation:

• Healthcare: Tracking medical licenses, specialisations, procedures performed, and ongoing education.

• Legal: Verifying bar admissions, areas of practice, case history, and continuing legal education.

• Finance: Confirming certifications for accountants and financial advisors, tracking trading history and compliance training.

• Education: Validating teacher qualifications, subjects taught, and professional development activities.

• Engineering: Recording project experience, software proficiencies, and safety certifications.

• Maritime: Logging sea time, vessel types operated, and certifications for merchant mariners.

While implementing such a system would require significant industry cooperation, regulatory approval, and careful consideration of privacy concerns, the potential benefits are substantial. It promises to enhance safety, increase efficiency, reduce fraud, and provide professionals with greater control over their career data. As industries increasingly grapple with the need for reliable, up-to-date information on professional competencies, blockchain technology offers a compelling solution for the future of credential verification.

The Human Supply Chain: A Day with Blockchain-Powered Professional Tracking

Imagine logging your professional experiences as easily as taking a selfie. Here's a glimpse of how it might work:

Continuous Logging

Your Meta Ray Ban smart glasses are your personal professional logger. "Hey Glass, start logging my Boeing 737 simulator session," you say as you enter the facility. The glasses recognize your location and begin recording.

Effortless Documentation

The glasses capture key moments - your hands on controls, the instrument panel, even your eye movements. It's not just video; it's intelligently parsing data to log specific skills you're practicing.

AI-Assisted Journaling

Post-session, the AI assistant prompts: "I've noticed you spent 30 minutes on approach procedures. Shall I log this in detail?" You confirm, and it drafts a detailed entry for your professional journal.

Supervisor Verification

Your supervisor receives a notification, reviews the AI-generated summary, and approves it with a voice command or gesture.

Blockchain Attestation

The approved record - including duration, skills practiced, and supervisor verification - is encrypted and added to the blockchain, becoming a permanent part of your professional history.

Real-time Skill Tracking

Your professional dashboard updates in real-time, showing progress towards currency requirements and suggesting areas for improvement.

Integration with HR Systems

Logged hours automatically populate your timesheet. HR systems can instantly verify your qualifications and recent experience for scheduling or compliance purposes.

This system combines blockchain's immutability with the ease of AI and wearable tech. It transforms logging professional experiences into an effortless process, providing unprecedented verification and insight.

Just as blockchain is revolutionising product supply chains, this could do the same for the "human supply chain". Every skill learned and task completed becomes a verified, immutable part of your professional journey.

While implementing such a system would require addressing privacy and data ownership concerns, it could create a professional landscape where qualifications are instantly verifiable and career development becomes more transparent and data-driven than ever before.

Conclusion: The Future of Professional Credentialing

The blockchain-powered system we've explored represents a paradigm shift in how we view and verify professional credentials. It promises a world where professional histories are instantly verifiable, always up-to-date, and fraud-resistant.

One of the key innovations that makes this possible is the use of Merkle trees—a clever cryptographic technique that allows for selective disclosure of information. Think of it as a 'need-to-know' basis for your professional data. You can prove you have certain qualifications or experiences without revealing your entire work history. For instance, a pilot could prove they've logged the required hours on a specific aircraft type without disclosing every flight they've ever taken.

This selective reveal capability addresses one of the main concerns with such a system: privacy. Professionals can maintain control over their data, sharing only what's necessary for each situation. It's like having a master key that can unlock specific parts of your professional record without opening everything.

As we move forward, it's crucial that all stakeholders work together to shape this future. The goal should be to create a system that not only verifies skills and experience but also encourages continuous learning and professional growth, all while respecting individual privacy.

The blockchain revolution in professional credentialing isn't just about building better résumés—it's about creating a more transparent, efficient, and trustworthy professional world. As this technology matures, we may find that "fake it till you make it" becomes a relic of the past, replaced by a new mantra: "Prove it as you improve it"—securely and on your own terms.

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