Abu Dhabi Launches Blockchain-Verified Digital Skills Card

The Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC), in partnership with Union Assessment and Quality Accreditation (UAC), has launched a new Digital Skills Card designed to provide professionals with a secure and digitally verifiable record of their skills and qualifications.

The initiative is described by QCC as the first of its kind in the Gulf region and is intended to strengthen trust, transparency and workforce mobility through blockchain-verifiable professional credentials.

Each Digital Skills Card is linked to a certification awarded through personnel conformity programmes accredited by QCC and delivered by UAC. Employers, regulators and other authorised stakeholders can scan a QR code on the card to verify whether the associated certification is valid and authentic. The verification process uses ADI Chain, the blockchain infrastructure developed by the ADI Foundation.

For employers, the system introduces a potentially more efficient way to verify professional qualifications during recruitment, onboarding and workforce compliance processes. Rather than relying solely on physical certificates or manually submitted copies of professional credentials, organisations can use the QR-enabled system to confirm whether a certification is genuine and current. This may be particularly relevant for sectors in which employees are required to hold recognised technical or professional qualifications.

The system also creates a portable credential that can remain associated with an individual as they move between employers or institutions.

QCC said the initiative is intended to support greater recognition of accredited competencies and improve confidence in professional qualifications among employers, regulators and professionals.

UAC has also indicated that the scope of the Digital Skills Card is expected to expand over time to include a broader range of certifications, qualifications and professional achievements.

The initiative reflects a wider shift toward digitally verifiable professional records and away from document-based credential checks. For businesses, this can strengthen recruitment and compliance processes by making it easier to verify that employees or candidates hold the qualifications they claim.

QCC is responsible for supporting Abu Dhabi’s quality infrastructure through areas including standardisation, conformity assessment, inspection, testing and accreditation.

The Council said it will continue working with government entities, regulators, employers and industry stakeholders to expand digital credential solutions and strengthen professional recognition and workforce quality across the emirate.

NUR Advisory Note

The Digital Skills Card is relevant for employers because credential verification is an important part of recruitment, onboarding and workforce compliance. Businesses employing personnel in regulated or technically specialised occupations should ensure that their HR and onboarding procedures include appropriate verification of professional qualifications rather than relying solely on documents supplied by candidates.

As digitally verifiable credentials become more widely adopted, companies may also need to update their internal HR processes to accommodate QR-based or blockchain-verified certification checks.

The Digital Skills Card should not, however, be treated as a replacement for other employment requirements. Professional certification, work permits, residence visas, employment contracts and any sector-specific regulatory approvals remain separate compliance matters.