Stamping out qualification fraud, one CV at a time

Henley Business School Africa has taken another step towards combatting rampant qualification fraud in South Africa with the launch of Verified-CV.com, a cutting-edge digital credentialing platform designed to make it easier for graduates to display their professional achievements – and for employers to validate these in real-time.

Developed by PrivySeal, Verified-CV.com consolidates all verified qualifications, licences, memberships, and workplace experiences into a single, easily shareable and professional CV format. The system builds on Henley’s existing digital and encrypted certification system initiated last year in partnership with PrivySeal to guarantee the legitimacy of its credentials.

‘We’ve gone to another level to ensure that anyone claiming to have a Henley qualification can be easily vetted because this is important not just for our own reputation but for the wider health of the economy,’ says dean and director of Henley Business School Jon Foster-Pedley.

‘This is not about being a policeman for the sake of it. We’re doing this because qualifications fraud causes real harm to our economy.'

Last week, Daniel Mthimkhulu, convicted qualification fraudster was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in a landmark case, for the damage he caused by lying about being an engineer. On his watch, Prasa acquired 13 locomotives for R600-million that were too tall for SA’s rail infrastructure.

“This is not a victimless crime,’ says Foster-Pedley. 'Lying about your qualifications as Mthimkhulu did has real consequences. People get killed, money is wasted, and the public is not served. It’s also just not fair on all the people who do work hard for their qualifications but then can’t get a job. We’ve got to all do what we can to make sure it doesn’t happen.’

According to Stephen Logan of PrivySeal, their system is already used by a wide range of institutions and authorities, including qualification bodies, statutory regulators, government agencies, recognised professional organisations, industry associations, corporations and educational institutions, and Henley Africa is the first business school to take a step into this space.

‘Our new CV product is a logical next step towards making it ever easier for graduates to display their legitimate qualifications and to empower HR teams to verify qualifications more quickly by simply clicking on a unique link or by using a supplied QR code that’s been embedded in emails, websites, documents and social media to vet a qualification’s legitimacy,’ he says.

Through the partnership, all graduates from Henley’s accredited undergraduate and postgraduate management practice programmes and its MBA, as well as short-course learners will have exclusive access to Verified-CV. On this platform, they can choose to showcase the credentials earned through Henley Africa, along with those verified by SAQA and other esteemed organisations such as SAIMechE, Saiosh, SAIIE, SAIPA, CIBA, CISA, IoDSA, SACAP, ECSA, SACQSP, and more. 

‘Our goal is to ensure that Verified-CV is as comprehensive as possible. We are actively engaging with employers and recognised professional bodies to encourage them to contribute their membership, licensing, qualification, and experience data. While we cannot guarantee that every qualification or role will be included, we are dedicated to making Verified-CV as thorough as possible,’ says Logan.

‘With Verified-CV.com, a Henley qualification on any CV is like a sturdy oak tree, rooted in knowledge and standing tall against the winds of doubt.’

Jon Foster-Pedley concludes that Henley Africa is proud to be a leading sponsor of the Verified-CV initiative. ‘This reflects our commitment to empowering our graduates and learners to maximise the value of their qualifications and stand out in today’s competitive job market,’ he says.

‘Our economy will stand or fall on the quality of the people we have working in it. We need to be thinking about the future and not just the present. We need to get skilled people into the right positions for the sake of South Africa and we are optimistic that this is another small but significant step towards that goal.’