O’Reilly's Verifiable Skills

O’Reilly[^ O’Reilly's Homepage: https://www.oreilly.com/] has been part of my regular learning routine for years. It’s one of the few platforms I consistently return to when I want to sharpen existing skills or explore something new. The range of content is wide enough that whether I’m diving into a technical security topic or skimming something more architectural or managerial, I rarely come up empty.

I usually check my account once or twice a week. Sometimes I’m looking for new book releases. Sometimes I’m scanning for updated certification prep material. The certification guides, practice exams, and structured courses on the platform have played a real role in how I prepare for security certifications. Often, they’ve been more than enough on their own.

A few weeks ago, during one of those routine check-ins, I noticed something new: Verifiable Skills[^ Verifiable Skills: https://www.oreilly.com/online-learning/verifiable-skills.html].

Let’s be honest. Most of us have had that moment where we think, “I know this stuff. I just wish there was a straightforward way to prove it without committing to a full-blown certification.” I’ve had that thought more than once.

Many security certifications demand weeks of focused study and hands-on practice. That effort makes sense when you’re aiming for a major credential. But sometimes I just want to demonstrate solid knowledge in something like Zero Trust or DevSecOps without blocking off evenings for the next month.

That’s where Verifiable Skills comes in.

What Are Verifiable Skills?

Currently in beta, Verifiable Skills is a competency-based learning feature from O'Reilly Media. In simple terms, it assesses your current ability in a specific technology area, identifies where you have gaps, and builds a focused learning plan around those gaps[^ O’Reilly Launches Verifiable Skills for Targeted Competency-Based Learning: https://www.oreilly.com/pub/pr/3477].

Instead of pushing you through an entire course from start to finish, it targets what you don’t know. The idea is to reduce wasted study time and make the learning process more efficient. The end goal isn’t just content consumption. It’s demonstrable competence.

How Does It Work?

You’ll need an O’Reilly account to access the feature, whether personal or company-provided. Once logged in, you can browse the available skills and select one to begin. Let’s use Information Security as an example.

You start by taking an assessment. It takes around 15–20 minutes. The instructions recommend not searching online or using AI tools during the assessment, which makes sense if the goal is to measure your current knowledge accurately.

After you complete it, the platform analyses your results and generates a tailored learning plan. The system identifies specific competency areas where improvement would help and organizes content around those gaps. This is the part I appreciated most. Instead of sitting through entire courses to extract the 20% I actually needed, I was directed straight to the weak spots.

As you work through each competency area, you complete quizzes and knowledge checks. Passing them earns you section badges. Once you complete a level (such as Level 1) you take a level assessment. Passing that grants a level completion badge, which can be shared via Credly[^ You can also add all the badges you earn from each competency section to your Credly account.]. The badges provide a small motivational boost along the way. There’s something satisfying about seeing structured progress.

In my case, it took about 8 hours to work through the targeted content identified after my initial assessment. That’s significantly less time than completing multiple full-length courses. The experience felt focused and efficient. I wasn’t relearning what I already knew. I was reinforcing what I didn’t.

Earlier today, I noticed that the AI Agents skill is now available. Given how relevant AI (and particularly agent-based systems) have become, I didn’t hesitate to enrol. There isn’t an assessment for it yet, but that may change. Based on my current understanding of AI agents, I expect this one will take me longer. And that’s fine. That’s the point.

Final Thoughts

Verifiable Skills won’t replace traditional certifications. They serve a different purpose. Certifications remain broad, high-stakes credentials. Verifiable Skills feel more modular and targeted. They validate specific competencies without requiring a full certification cycle.

For professionals who care about continuous improvement but don’t always have the time to commit to large certifications, this approach makes sense. It aligns with how many of us actually learn, incrementally, based on need.

It’s still in beta, and the skill catalogue is growing. But the direction is promising. If the assessments remain rigorous and the coverage expands thoughtfully, this could become a practical way to demonstrate focused technical capability without overinvesting time.

Most learning platforms tell you what to study. This one starts by figuring out what you actually need. That's a meaningful difference.