When hiring you can look at a resume and see a diploma, but what does that really tel you about what a candidate knows? For the 21st Century we need a new way of telling what skills a candidate actually possesses. The days of the diploma are numbered.

Damian Ewens is the CEO of Achievery, a global platform for recognizing and verifying new and emerging skills, standards, and credentials. He holds a Master of Arts in Education (Mathematics) from Stanford University and taught in grades 6-12th in some of the most innovative schools in the country. After teaching, he worked closely with the founders of Big Picture Learning, an international system of schools based on personalization and real world learning, where he supported overall strategic initiatives. Prior to Achievery, he led the development of one of the first credit-bearing afterschool systems in the country as the founding Director of the Hub, the high school initiative of the Providence After School Alliance. Damian lives in Rhode Island with his wife, Stephanie Alvarez Ewens, and their two daughters.


This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx