“At the Click of a Button”: How ICL Graduate Business School Brought Its Credentials Into the Digital Age
Below article has been edited for clarity - to listen to the full interview please scroll to the bottom of this page.
When ICL Graduate Business School issued its first round of digital documents through My eQuals, something remarkable happened.
Within twenty minutes, 80% of learners had already accessed their credentials.
For Sumaiya Essop, Administration Manager at ICL, watching that live uptake was a moment of validation — a sign that months of preparation, testing, and refining had all been worth it.
“We would normally have students queuing outside reception waiting to collect their documents,” she said. “And this was just… literally at the click of a button.”
But the journey to that moment began long before the first digital credential went out.
A Shift Toward Authenticity and Recognition
Sumaiya stepped into her role after initial conversations between ICL and My eQuals had already begun. But it didn’t take long for her to understand why the institution was ready for a change.
As a private-sector provider offering postgraduate qualifications, ICL often finds itself working hard for the recognition that public institutions receive more readily. So when the option of joining My eQuals emerged, it just made sense.
“Authenticity was a big driver for us,” Sumaiya explained. “Electronic validation is fast becoming the norm — and My eQuals renders significant authenticity to our qualifications.”
ICL issues a wide range of academic documents: graduation certificates, transcripts, attendance letters, and practicum confirmations for their Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education. Previously, everything was printed manually, and international students would often arrive in person to collect their papers.
“We have multiple cohorts throughout the year,” she added. “Students wouldn’t wait for graduation, so the reception area was always busy.”
Digitisation wasn’t just a modernisation project — it was a necessity.
Inside the Onboarding Journey
When Sumaiya describes the onboarding phase with My eQuals, one word comes up repeatedly:
Smooth.
From the moment she and her team were introduced to Mike Shaw (Sr Project Manager) from My eQuals, there was a clear sense of direction.
“Mike kept us on our toes,” she laughed. “He communicated clearly, made sure we stayed on track, and helped us understand what the development team needed and when.”
One of the highlights for ICL was the dedicated test environment — a risk-free sandbox that allowed the team to experiment, make mistakes, and refine their setup without impacting any real learners.
“We could play around with overlays, formats, presentation… anything,” she said. “It was extremely useful because we could learn without worrying about affecting students.”
Even when ICL requested a last-minute change after the development phase had technically closed, the My eQuals team made it happen.
“They literally bent over backwards so we could still meet our deadline.”
After a smooth handover to Marisa Acosta (Sr Customer Success Manager, My eQuals) for ongoing support, ICL was ready to go live.
Launch Day: “We Were Watching the Dashboard…”
The moment ICL hit “issue” on their first batch of credentials, Sumaiya and her team watched the reporting dashboard light up.
“Within the first 20 to 30 minutes, 80% of our students had accessed their documents,” she recalled. “It was fantastic — really exciting for us.”
No queues. No paperwork. No manual printing or stamping or envelope stuffing.
Just students accessing what they needed, instantly. And perhaps even more satisfying: no issues, no complaints, and no support requests from students.
What Sumaiya Wants Other Institutions to Know
As someone who oversees the entire lifecycle of a student — from enrolment through graduation — Sumaiya was especially focused on maintaining quality assurance. For her, the digital shift needed to match the rigour of the traditional process.
And it did. “With physical documents, there are checks and balances before anything reaches the student. I was so happy to see those same checkpoints can be created online,” she said. “You can upload, have someone else check it, sign it off — everything is there.”
The digital environment didn’t reduce quality. It enhanced it. And the test portal, she said, was invaluable.
“We could explore what worked and what didn’t. The team supported us at every step.”
Looking Ahead
ICL’s first successful issuance is only the beginning, but the impact has already been felt throughout the organisation.
Efficiency has improved. Staff workload has decreased. Students get what they need instantly. And ICL’s qualifications carry enhanced digital integrity in a global education landscape where authenticity is more important than ever.
For Sumaiya, the experience has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Overall, we’ve had a really good experience,” she said. “Everything was well managed, and the support was excellent.”
And with that, ICL Graduate Business School officially joins the growing community of institutions reshaping how learners receive and share their academic achievements — securely, instantly, and at the click of a button.
Full interview below
You can listen to the full conversation between Jeremiah Allen-Juric (Sr Business Development at My eQuals) and Sumaiya below.