The NSW Government has partnered with St John Ambulance to trial a digital First Aid certificate as the first “verifiable credential” part of the state’s Digital Wallet.

A selection of first responders, employees and members will have access to the Digital First Aid Certificate through the Service NSW app. It is also the first phase of the NSW Digital ID and Wallet roll-out, which received a $21.4 million Budget boost last month.

The pilot will see participants who complete a first aid or CPR course with St John Ambulance NSW have their new certifications sent to the new Digital Wallet on the Service NSW app.

“In an increasingly digital world, we’re working to help people safeguard their personal information and make everyday transactions more convenient and secure by building a new Digital ID and Wallet for the people of NSW,” Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, Jihad Dib, said.

“The NSW Digital ID and Wallet are a game-changer, providing a safe and accessible home for people’s important identification documents and putting time back in their busy lives.

“The new Digital First Aid Certificate is an important milestone in our program, which the Minns Labor Government is supporting with a $21.4 million investment in the coming financial year.

“We’re simplifying the processes needed to store and share digital identification documents, and the new Digital First Aid Certificate is going to help people across the state, including our hardworking medical professionals. By securing someone’s identity and documents digitally, forms of identification or qualifications will also be safe when disasters strike and destroy physical copies.”

“Reducing the oversharing of identity documents and credentials will also reduce the risks associated with data breaches, because organisations will hold less information about individuals.”

The Digital First Aid Certificate as a verifiable credential – digital versions of physical credentials that share the minimum data required to increase security of information – is an Australian government first, and comes after NSW introduced the digital renewal option for the Working with Children Check (WWCC) last year.

Over 21,000 people have renewed their WWCC online.

“Just as we’ve been at the forefront of first aid training innovation for over 140 years, St John Ambulance is excited to lead the way with the NSW Government to improve how people will receive and manage their first aid certifications,” St Johns Ambulance NSW CEO, Dominic Teakle, said.

“A digital first aid certificate will mean an improved experience for students and employers, but also helps the Vocational Education and Training (VET) industry to progress in the digital space.”

“We’re proud to be the first non-government organisation to participate in this initiative.”