What artifacts can be used as evidence of talent in a Universal Talent Passport?
A core purpose of the Universal Talent Passport is to help individuals represent what they can do, not just what credentials they hold. Because learning happens everywhere—in classrooms, workplaces, communities, and life—evidence of talent must be flexible, inclusive, and meaningful.
The UTP is designed to structure and support a wide range of artifacts that demonstrate skills, competencies, behaviors, accomplishments, and growth. These artifacts can be attached to skills, mapped to experiences, or used to support Learning and Employment Records (LERs).
Here are the primary types of evidence students, workers, and professionals can include in their Universal Talent Passport.
1. Verified Credentials, Certifications, and Licenses
These are trusted, third-party attestations of knowledge or ability, such as:
- Professional certifications
- Industry-recognized badges
- State licenses (e.g., nursing, teaching, trades)
- Compliance or safety credentials
- Verified microcredentials
Because they come from recognized issuers, they serve as strong, verifiable evidence of skill.
2. Work Samples and Project Artifacts
Many abilities are best demonstrated through examples of actual work. These might include:
- Writing samples
- Code repositories or snippets
- UX/UI design mockups
- Art or media portfolios
- Research papers or abstracts
- Engineering diagrams
- Case studies or project summaries
Work samples help others see the quality of someone’s abilities—not just the claim that those abilities exist.
3. References, Recommendations, and Endorsements
Human testimony remains one of the most powerful forms of evidence. These might include:
- Supervisor recommendations
- Peer endorsements
- Client testimonials
- Mentor statements
- Letters of recommendation
- Short endorsements tied to specific skills
The UTP allows these to be connected directly to competencies, providing context and credibility.
4. Academic Records and Learning Evidence
Beyond a transcript, students can attach:
- Course projects
- Learning reflections
- Rubrics or assessment summaries
- Evidence of skill mastery tied to learning outcomes
This shifts academic achievement from a GPA on paper to a skills-based learning portfolio.
5. Performance Evaluations and Professional Feedback
Performance reviews—formal or informal—offer insight into real-world application of skills, such as:
- Annual or quarterly performance summaries
- 360-degree feedback
- Rubrics from practicum or clinical rotations
- Supervisor notes or verified achievements
These demonstrate not just what someone learned, but how they perform in practice.
6. Awards, Achievements, and Recognitions
Accomplishments can reveal excellence, leadership, or commitment, including:
- Industry awards
- Academic honors
- Competition wins
- Publication credits
- Speaking engagements
- Grants or fellowships
- Scholarships
These pieces of evidence help tell a richer story about a person’s strengths.
7. Experience-Based Evidence (LER-Compatible Narratives)
Much of a person’s skill development comes from real-world experiences that do not produce formal documents. The UTP structures these as LER-style narratives supported by:
- Descriptions of duties, responsibilities, or challenges
- Reflections on what was learned
- Artifacts connected to the experience
- Optional endorsements or verification
- Skill tags and competency mapping
This ensures informal learning is visible and valued—especially for career changers, gig workers, military veterans, or individuals from nontraditional backgrounds.
8. Self-Reflection, Journaling, and Growth Documentation
The UTP supports reflective artifacts that demonstrate self-awareness, including:
- Personal statements about growth
- Reflections on challenges
- Skills inventories
- Career goal updates
- Learning journals
Reflection is a valid and increasingly recognized form of evidence—especially in education, coaching, leadership development, and workforce programs.
9. Media and Demonstrations
Skills can also be proven through demonstrations such as:
- Videos
- Presentations
- Workshops or teaching sessions
- Recorded performances
- Demonstrations of technical or physical tasks
These capture dynamic abilities that may not show up in static documents.
Evidence in a Universal Talent Passport Is Flexible, Inclusive, and Human-Centered
The Universal Talent Passport is designed to reflect the full spectrum of an individual’s capabilities—not just what’s easily represented on a résumé or transcript. Evidence can be:
- Verified or self-reported
- Formal or informal
- Academic, professional, or personal
- Quantitative or narrative
- Human-validated or artifact-based
The point is not to conform to a single standard of proof—it’s to give every person a credible, structured, interoperable way to show what they can do.
In a world moving toward skills-based hiring and lifelong learning, the ability to attach diverse, meaningful evidence to one’s talent record is transformative.