Summary
This guide covers certificates in skillSYMS from both ends: how SDP and admin staff design branded templates and issue certificates, and how anyone — including learners and employers — can verify a certificate or student card through the public verification pages. Verifiable documents protect your credentials against fraud.
Who This Guide Is For
- SDP staff designing and issuing certificates
- Administrators managing certification records
- Learners and employers verifying a certificate or student card
Prerequisites
- For issuance: a learner with results Final and, where relevant, an issued Statement of Results
- For design: your organisation’s branding (logo, colours) on hand
- For verification: a certificate number or student card reference
Step 1: Design a Certificate Template
Navigate to Design OS → Certificate Branding.
Click + New Template and set the Template Name, Type (Certificate, Statement of Results, Attendance Register, Report, Invoice, Letter, ID Card, or Transcript), and page settings. Use the type filter chips (All, Certificates, Statement of Results, Attendance, Reports, ID Cards) to manage your template library.
Tip: Build and approve your certificate template before the first cohort completes. Issuance pulls from these templates, so the design needs to be ready when results go Final.
Step 2: Issue a Certificate
Certificates are issued from a learner’s completed, moderated record. Once results are Final and any required Statement of Results is issued, generate the certificate so it carries a unique certificate number that the public verification page can later confirm.
Tip: Issue only against Final, moderated results. A revoked or superseded record should never have a live certificate against it.
Step 3: Verify a Certificate (Public)
Anyone can verify a certificate at /verify/cert/[certificate number] — for example by following a QR code or link on the document.
The page shows one of:
- Verified Certificate — the certificate type, the learner it was awarded to, the certificate number, date issued, score achieved, and modules completed
- Invalid Certificate — “Certificate Not Found” when the number does not match a record
- Certificate Revoked — when the certificate has been revoked
There is also a “Verify Another” field to check a different certificate number.
Step 4: Verify a Student Card (Public)
Student cards verify at /verify/card using the card reference (in the SC-XXXXX format).
A valid card shows the learner, reference, card type, programme with NQF level, status, issue date, and valid-until date, plus the accredited provider’s name and accreditation number. The page also handles Card Not Found, Card Revoked, Card Expired, and rate-limited states, and offers a manual entry field to check another reference.
Tip: Put the verification URL and a QR code on every printed certificate and card. Verification only protects you if recipients can find and use it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Issuing on non-final results — verify the record is Final and moderated first
- No verification link on documents — recipients then can’t confirm authenticity
- Leaving revoked credentials live — revoke so the public page reports it correctly
- Editing a live template mid-cohort — version templates so issued certificates stay consistent
Verification Checklist
- A certificate template exists and is approved
- Certificates are issued only against Final, moderated records
- Each certificate has a unique certificate number
- The verification URL/QR code is printed on the document
- Public certificate and card verification both resolve correctly
Next Steps
- Statement of Results — the SoR behind many certificates
- Trade Test Management — certify competent trade test candidates
- EISA Registration — certification after external assessment
- Audit Readiness Checklist — keep credentials audit-ready