PBSA

PBSA Journal PAGE 8 JULY/AUG 2025 Except where otherwise indicated, articles are copyright © by PBSA 2025. All rights reserved. Better Know a Provider T he Provider Advisory Group is focused on broadening the understanding of the Provider Community and highlighting both the well-known as well as the unknown aspects of our work in support of Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) and the customers they serve. Through a volunteer process, we select individuals to interview representing various provider disciplines. In this installment, we interview Caitlyn Mackrell, CEO, AuraData Inc. AuraData is a Canadian Education Verification provider with PBSA. 1. What are some attributes to the education verification process that may not be readily known to the member population? Education verifications are a lot more complex than one would think. Each school in Canada is unique with different internal requirements, storage processes and methods. Unlike some countries, Canada doesn't have a centralized national verification body for all education levels and each institution manages their own records. Many Canadian Institutions partner with AuraData to do this for them and if they don't then AuraData either knows who to call and what they need or has internal long-standing friendships with registrar's offices. Also, transcripts do not equal verification. We highly suggest direct confirmation through accredited bodies, making sure that the Institution is vetted, recognized, and regulated. Diploma mills and unaccredited institutions do exist. 2. Can you provide some ways that you have seen the background screening industry evolve over the past few years as it pertains to verifications, their processes, and their requirements? What may be coming in the future that we should be noting now? Micro credentials, increasingly convincing fraud (inspired by AI advancements), digital verifiable credentials, extreme changes in traditional education to adhere to new learner pathways. What isn't changing in the Canadian education landscape? I could speak on this forever. It's an exciting time to be in this industry. With COVID we saw an increase in verifications – prompting the increased use of API's, electronic consents, and the wider acceptance of data as a commodity. Now we are seeing a wide acceptance of education checks as standard for a myriad of reasons which is allowing the landscape to grow and evolve with technology standards and improved processes. 3. What are some challenges that you experience that you would like to communicate to the general population of the screening industry? Please ensure that the applicant provides you with and you are searching for all the names provided – as it is now and how it was when the applicant graduated. The applicant likely knows what name their record is being kept under, but they might not be aware that they must provide it to you. Often graduate records are stored under a maiden name, English name, or shortened version of their name. It seems like a simple thing, but it is paramount to the search. Make use of the option to add alternate or additional names. The name also needs to match the consent – which brings me to the other item that can be a barrier to successful educations verifications… Consent forms! Strict privacy laws (like PIPEDA) make it so that you must have written consent to perform education verifications in Canada. Not all schools accept standardized, cookie cutter consent. Especially when it comes to digital consent. Especially when dealing with Quebec. Presented by the U.S. Council Provider Advisory Group Continued on page 9 Often graduate records are stored under a maiden name, English name, or shortened version of their name. It seems like a simple thing, but it is paramount to the search.

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