SIH: Diplomas Delivered Digitally the Moment Studies End

TL;DR: SIH, Stockholms Internationella Handelsskola, is a Swedish vocational college with programmes in economics, sustainability and safety. Its diplomas are now issued digitally through TRUE in far less time, with ready templates for every type of document and blockchain behind them, so no student has to wait for someone to be on site.

Isabella Larsson is education manager at SIH, Stockholms Internationella Handelsskola, a vocational college whose focus areas include economics, sustainability and safety. She runs several of the programmes and follows the students from their first day until they graduate.

How can an employer see that a diploma from SIH is genuine?

Open the diploma through the link the student shared. It is secured with blockchain, and the page shows that SIH issued it and that it has not been altered. You can also paste the link into TRUE Verify. The answer comes in a few seconds, and you do not need an account.

What did issuing look like before TRUE?

Printouts, and a person who had to be standing in the building. The college runs many programmes with many students in them, so the administrative load multiplied with every intake rather than staying flat.

“Our handling of certificates and diplomas before TRUE was a bit outdated and required a significant amount of administrative time. The process involved many printouts and required issuers to be physically present to distribute them. This was particularly time consuming given the variety of programmes and the number of students needing their certificates.”

What did that cost a student?

Time they had no way of shortening, for a reason that had nothing to do with them. A graduate is usually finishing in order to apply for something: a job, a further programme, a licence. The certificate is the thing standing between them and the application.

“One of the biggest challenges was that we were limited to issuing paper based graduation certificates on site. This restricted our ability to act quickly. If a student completed their education and needed their graduation certificate issued, the process was time consuming. We had to coordinate the presence of a management representative on site, which sometimes meant the student waited a long time for their certificate.”

Isabella Larsson, Education Manager, SIH

The wait was a diary problem between two colleagues, and it landed hardest on the student Larsson names: the one who completes out of step with the rest of the class. The old process made them wait longest of anyone.

What does it look like now?

Everything is handled digitally and the certificate arrives in a much shorter timespan. Larsson calls it a significantly smoother and faster experience for the students, and says it is an improvement the college is very happy with. Nobody coordinates anybody’s calendar to release a document any more.

What does the college get from it?

One place for a set of documents that used to be handled separately. Every kind of certificate SIH issues now comes out of the same system, instead of out of whichever process happened to grow up around it.

“I appreciate the ability to gather all our different certificates and proofs in one place. It saves time and allows us to use ready made templates tailored to each type of certificate we need to issue. I also feel secure knowing that our documents are secured with blockchain technology, making them more resistant to forgery.”

Isabella Larsson, Education Manager, SIH

Without ready made templates, each new programme arrives as a new manual process, and SIH adds programmes regularly: three started recently, in customs, growth marketing and content marketing, alongside the certification programme for security managers, now running in both Stockholm and Malmö. See how to design a professional certificate for what goes into one.

Where to read more

SIH publishes its programmes on its own site: SIH. Two other Swedish vocational colleges that took the manual step out of a regulated diploma: TUC and IHM Business School. On the regulated side specifically, see digital diplomas in the Swedish vocational college system.

More on digital diplomas and course certificates.

Frequently asked questions

What is SIH?

SIH is Stockholms Internationella Handelsskola, a Swedish vocational college offering a variety of programmes, with focus areas including economics, sustainability and safety.

Why did students at SIH wait for a certificate?

Because graduation certificates were paper based and issued on site, which meant coordinating a management representative to be present. A student who completed outside that window sometimes waited a long time.

How are certificates issued now?

Digitally, through TRUE. The college says this has given students a significantly smoother and faster experience and a much shorter wait.

What does SIH like most about TRUE?

Gathering all its different certificates and proofs in one place, with ready made templates for each type, and knowing the documents are secured with blockchain technology and so more resistant to forgery.

What is new at SIH?

Three programmes started recently, in customs, growth marketing and content marketing, alongside a certification programme for security managers. These run in both Stockholm and Malmö.