The Digital Trust Center of Excellence (DTCoE) is developing a new generation of professional, vendor-neutral certifications for the various job roles in the digital identity & trust services domain, aligned with the EU Cybersecurity Skills Framework (ECSF).
We invite experienced professionals, practicioners, academics, or researchers in digital identity & trust services to contribute as Subject Matter Experts to Credentialing Devlopment Working Groups — defining the knowledge, skills, abilities, and tasks, that will shape the future of digital identity & trust services workforce.
DTCoE certifications are co-developed in collaboration with industry professionals, auditors, engineers, and public servants.
The Job Practice Analysis Working Groups form the core mechanism of the DTCoE’s credential development process, defining the professional standards and competency frameworks that underpin each certification in the Digital Identity and Trust Services domain. These groups bring together subject matter experts and industry practitioners to identify the essential knowledge, skills, and tasks that characterize professional practice across key roles in the domain.
Defining the competencies required for professionals responsible for verifying and validating natural and legal identities and identity attributes within the eIDAS 2.0 and WebPKI ecosystems. Experts contribute to mapping the tasks, skills, and abilities underpinning identity proofing in the contexts of electronic identification, qualified trust services, and WebPKI, in alignment with applicable regulations and standards.
Defining the operational and technical aspects of trust services operation and provision (e.g. certificate issuance, time-stamping, preservation, eSeals, eSignatures, QEEAs, eID). SMEs collaborate to define the essential knowledge, skills tasks, and professional ethics that ensure trust services operate securely, reliably, and in regulatory compliance.
Defining the competency profile for those overseeing the governance, compliance, and lifecycle management of eID programs, qualified trust service operations, and WebPKI services. Participants identify the managerial, procedural, and risk management competencies required to lead teams, implement policies, and ensure conformity with EU & US standards and regulations, as well as root store program requirements.
Defining the knowledge and practices expected from professionals conducting third-party conformity assessments as well as internal audits in the contexts of WebPKI and qualified trust services. SMEs contribute to shaping the evaluation criteria, audit and reporting methodologies, and ethical competencies necessary to maintain trust and transparency in the digital trust ecosystem.
Aligned with the European Commission’s Recommendation on Micro-credentials (2022), these programs represent the entry-level pathway within the DTCoE learning and certification ecosystem. They are designed to be modular, stackable, and recognized across domains, enabling learners to build verified competences that support employability and mobility in the European Digital Identity and Trust Services landscape.
Curriculum development is guided by the broader EU digital policy architecture that underpins the Digital Single Market and the Digital Decade objectives — including the EU Cybersecurity Strategy, Digital Europe Programme, Connecting Europe Facility (CEF Digital), and the European Skills Agenda. These policy instruments collectively drive the implementation of key frameworks such as eIDAS 2.0, NIS2, DORA, and initiatives on Digital Public Infrastructure, Digital Public Services, and interoperability (EIF), which together form the regulatory and strategic foundation of the European Digital Trust ecosystem.
The Foundations micro-credentials also accommodate candidates who do not yet meet the full eligibility criteria for the more advanced, skills-based certifications, providing them with a recognized starting point and a structured path toward professional specialization.
This working group focuses on designing the foundational tier of the DTCoE credentialing framework through the development of micro-credentials that establish the essential knowledge and competences required to enter the digital identity and trust services profession.
This working group brings together educators, subject matter experts, and industry practitioners to co-develop the curriculum structure, learning outcomes, and assessment models in alignment with EU policy, ECSF role profiles, and eIDAS 2.0 priorities.
The Research-Driven Working Groups investigate emerging and underdeveloped areas of digital identity where ethical, social, and operational implications are not yet clearly defined, but will have significant impact on the future of digital trust. Their role is to examine ideas that are currently theoretical or exploratory and translate them into practical frameworks, principles, and artifacts that can be applied by industry, policymakers, and practitioners.
These initiatives focus on topics where ethical considerations intersect with system design and governance, such as accountability in decentralized identity ecosystems, the ethics of trust automation, bias and fairness in identity assurance, and responsible implementation of high-assurance identity systems at scale. By combining research with values-driven design and structured analysis, the groups aim to formalize emerging concepts, surface blind spots, and address questions that standards and practice have not yet resolved.
Through these activities, we aim to operationalize ethical theory into usable models and guidance, supporting the development of responsible, secure, and human-centric identity systems. Their outputs provide clarity and structure in domains where professional practice and ethical frameworks are still nascent, enabling innovation while safeguarding public trust.
Defining the competences essential to the ethical governance of national digital identity programs for ensuring that digital identity programs remain responsible, transparent, and human-centered throughout their lifecycle.
Participation offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the advancement of professional standards and to help shape the foundational frameworks guiding the future of digital identity and trust services. As a contributor, you will:
