How Belfast City Council is Using Digital Badging to Drive Inclusive Employment
An interview with Sinead O’Regan, Employability & Skills Manager at Belfast City Council
Every year, we get chance to spend a couple of days with the Employability and Skills team at Belfast City Council, reviewing progress and refining plans together. This ongoing partnership has been pivotal in shaping an innovative, inclusive approach to employment and skills development in the city.
So far the Belfast have impacted over 4,500 individuals, and worked with 31 organisations to badge their programmes. During a recent visit, I had the privilege of sitting down with inspirational Sinead O’Regan who leads the team. After almost four years running the project, I was eager to hear her reflections on; what’s working, what they’ve learned, and what the future might hold.
It was a fascinating conversation with someone who not only has a strategic overview of the work, but also a clear passion for inclusive growth and individuals potential. What stood out most was how many of the programme’s most powerful impacts were unexpected—the kind of benefits you only discover through doing.
Sinead, what first sparked your interest in digital badges? What challenge were you trying to solve?
We got into digital badging through the RSA Cities of Learning initiative, where we were selected to represent Northern Ireland. There were two main reasons for our interest.
First, from the employer side, we were really focused on inclusive growth—ensuring that the city’s economic development benefits everyone. A lot of people in Belfast have skills and attributes not captured by traditional qualifications, and we saw digital badges as a kind of skills passport—a way to give those people recognition and credibility with employers.
Second, we have around 14% of the population with no qualifications or low skill levels, many of whom have been let down by the education system. I was very interested in how we could unlock and recognise the skills they already have—as well as those they gain through our training programmes. Badging offered us a way to do that and to keep everything in one place for the participant.
How did the implementation of digital badging go in practice?
We decided to digitally badge all of our Employment Academies. It wasn’t easy—it was a long process—but we learned so much. There were two sides to the implementation:
First, we started badging what we delivered ourselves.
Second, we gave access to training providers and employers in the city, allowing them to use the Navigatr platform too.
We felt strongly that we needed to “put our money where our mouth is.” If we were encouraging others to do it, we had to do it ourselves.
What impact has the Navigatr platform had on your work?
There have been several unexpected and powerful outcomes.
First, we realised that Navigatr allowed us to track participants in a way we never could before. It became almost a better CRM than our existing systems. The data was there instantly.
“Previously, it would have taken us two months to gather reporting data.
Now, we have it at the click of a button.”
Second, the integration with JobsFeed was transformational (A jobsfeed displays all the relevant live job postings that are relevant for someone completing a pathway). People coming out of Employment Academies were not only getting guaranteed interviews, but they were also being shown a whole range of jobs available across the city. That empowered participants and gave them real options in the labour market.
Third, we were concerned about digital accessibility—especially for people with low literacy or limited digital skills. But participants actually loved the badges from the start, even in sectors like logistics and transport. It even created a bit of friendly competition between them!
What does digital badging change for your Employment Academies?
It improves consistency. Every academy now has a digital learning pathway, with individual badges capturing the specific skills being developed. While each academy is tailored to its sector, we can now describe and track what we’re delivering in a standardised way.
And from a participant perspective, it’s a visual, motivating record of progress—one they can share and feel proud of.
Are employers recognising the value of badges?
That’s our long-term focus. It’s great that learners and providers are engaging, but if employers don’t see badges as credible and valuable, then it limits their impact.
So we’re actively working with employer bodies like the Federation of Small Businesses, CBI, the Harbour Commission, and especially sector-specific regulators. We’re in discussions with employers across the city about professionalising the workforce using digital badges.
We’re also engaging with awarding bodies and even piloting badging within our own Council’s corporate training—again, to lead by example.
“It motivates individuals. It helps them talk about their progress. It builds confidence and keeps them engaged”
What’s your long-term vision for this work?
This isn’t just a short-term innovation—it’s a strategic shift. We’re in it for the long haul. It might take five or ten years for digital badging to be fully embedded across sectors, but we’re building the foundation now.
What excites me is the potential to flip the model:
Right now, JobsFeed shows participants job opportunities. But imagine if employers could see the talent pool—a searchable stream of people with verified badges and skills. That could be a game changer.
Any final reflections or insights?
I think what Navigatr has helped us create is real opportunity for people who’ve been excluded. It’s about opening up the labour market and giving people visibility and agency in their own journey. That’s powerful.
