Accreditors are deciding which programmes meet the standard. Employers are deciding which candidates are genuinely ready. And individuals ­­­­­­– millions of them ­­– are considering career decisions and self-education trying to guess what is going to make them and keep them employable. Everyone in this chain is trying to make an informed decision. Who has the information they actually need to make it well? Because the question underneath all of it, the one that keeps getting

Accreditation is economic infrastructure. It’s foundational to development as roads or power grids. The World Bank’s 2025 World Development Report makes this striking claim. The UNESCO 2026 roadmap for transforming higher education points in the same direction. Taken together, the case is clear. So, that leaves us with the question: Who holds the infrastructure accountable? Accreditation bodies operate with significant delegated authority. They set the standards that deter