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Quick Summary: Featured resources are admin-curated learning materials that you highlight for a specific skill. Marking a resource as Featured places it in a dedicated tab on the skill details page, making it easy for employees and managers to find the most recommended training content.

Overview

The Favorites feature in SkillsDB — labeled Featured throughout the product interface — lets administrators designate specific learning resources as the top recommended content for a skill. When a learning resource is marked as Featured, it appears in a dedicated Featured tab on the skill details page, separate from the full resource list. This feature solves a common problem: as your organization’s training library grows, employees can struggle to identify which resources are most valuable or relevant. Featuring resources gives admins a straightforward curation tool — a way to surface the best courses, articles, webinars, and training materials for any skill without removing other content from the library. Featured is not a standalone settings page. Instead, it is a property of individual learning resources that administrators toggle when adding or editing a resource within a skill. Any learning resource attached to a skill can be marked as Featured, regardless of its category (Learning Content, Web Resources, Training Materials, Examples, or Other). All users — administrators, managers, and employees — can view Featured resources on any skill’s details page. Only administrators can toggle the Featured status on a learning resource.

Prerequisites

Before you can mark learning resources as Featured, you need:
  • Permission level: Administrator role in SkillsDB
  • Setup requirement: At least one skill with learning resources added to it
  • Access path: Navigate to Library > Skills > [Skill Name] to reach the skill details page where Featured is managed
Note: If a skill does not yet have learning resources, you must first add resources before you can feature them. See Libraries: Training for details on adding resources to the training library.

Administrators mark a learning resource as Featured from within the resource’s add or edit dialog. There are two paths: featuring a resource when you first add it, or featuring an existing resource by editing it.

Featuring a resource when adding it

  1. Navigate to Library > Skills > [Skill Name] to open the skill details page.
  2. Select Add Resource from the sidebar at the bottom of the page.
  3. In the Add Resource dialog, either upload a file or enter a resource URL and optional Reference ID, then select Submit.
  4. A second dialog opens with the resource details form. Complete the required fields:
FieldRequiredDescription
TitleYesThe display name for the resource
URLNoDirect link to the resource (for example, a Udemy or Coursera course URL)
Reference IDNoAn internal tracking identifier (for example, F-139200)
CostNoThe cost of the resource in USD
Cost DescriptionNoDetails about cost (for example, “Free with company subscription”)
ProviderNoThe platform or provider name (for example, “Udemy”, “Coursera”)
DescriptionNoA text description of the resource
CategoryYesThe resource type: Learning Content, Web Resources, Training Materials, Examples, or Other
Featured toggleNoToggle on to mark the resource as Featured
  1. Toggle the Featured switch to the on position. The toggle label reads: “Toggle to indicate whether this item should be featured or not.”
  2. Select Add resource to save.
The resource is created and immediately appears in both the All Content view and the Featured tab on the skill details page.

Featuring an existing resource

  1. Navigate to Library > Skills > [Skill Name] to open the skill details page.
  2. Locate the resource you want to feature in the resource list.
  3. Select the three-dot menu icon on the resource card. This icon is only visible to administrators.
  4. In the Edit Resource dialog that opens, scroll to the Featured toggle.
  5. Toggle Featured to the on position.
  6. Select Update resource to save.
The resource now appears in the Featured tab. If the Featured toggle was already on and you toggle it off, the resource is removed from the Featured tab but remains in the skill’s full resource list.
All users — administrators, managers, and employees — can view Featured resources on any skill’s details page. Featured resources are surfaced through a dedicated sidebar tab.
  1. Navigate to a skill’s details page. You can reach a skill through Library > Skills > [Skill Name] or Explore > Skills > [Skill Name].
  2. In the sidebar on the left, select Featured (displayed with an award ribbon icon).
The page filters to show only resources that have been marked as Featured for the selected skill. Each Featured resource card displays the same information as a standard resource card, including the resource type badge, title, description, assigned count, and an Add to Plan button. The skill details sidebar displays the following tabs for filtering resources:
TabIconWhat it shows
My ItemsFile list iconResources assigned to you or added to your learning plan
FeaturedAward ribbon iconResources marked as Featured by an administrator
Learning ContentPencil iconResources categorized as Learning Content
Web ResourcesVideo iconResources categorized as Web Resources
Training MaterialsDocument iconResources categorized as Training Materials
ExamplesRepeat iconResources categorized as Examples
OtherRuler iconResources categorized as Other
The Featured tab filters independently of the category tabs. A resource that is both Featured and categorized as “Learning Content” appears in both the Featured tab and the Learning Content tab.
When a learning resource has been marked as Featured, a star badge appears on the resource card in the metadata section. The star badge displays alongside other metadata such as the hours count and assigned count. This visual indicator helps users recognize Featured resources even when browsing the full All Content view (before selecting the Featured tab).
Tip: Use the Featured badge as a visual signal alongside labels. While labels help categorize resources by topic or department, the Featured badge highlights quality — telling employees “this is a recommended resource for this skill.”

Who Can Do What

ActionAdministratorManagerEmployee
View the Featured tab on any skillYesYesYes
Mark a resource as Featured when adding itYesNoNo
Toggle Featured status on an existing resourceYesNoNo
Add a Featured resource to their learning planYesYesYes
Assign a Featured resource to another personYesYesNo
Managers and employees interact with Featured resources in a read-only capacity. Managers with appropriate access (group level 4 or above) can assign Featured resources to direct reports using the Assign button on the resource card, but they cannot change which resources are Featured.

Best Practices

  • Be selective. Featuring every resource defeats the purpose. Aim to feature two to five top-quality resources per skill so that the Featured tab remains a focused, curated list.
  • Review periodically. As new training content becomes available, revisit Featured resources for each skill. Remove the Featured status from outdated materials and feature newer, higher-quality replacements.
  • Combine with labels. Use labels to categorize resources by topic, department, or compliance area, and use Featured to highlight the best resources within each category.
  • Communicate the meaning. Let your organization know that Featured resources represent admin-recommended content. This helps employees trust the Featured tab as a starting point for skill development.

Common Questions

Yes. Featured status is set per skill-resource relationship, not per resource globally. The same learning resource can be Featured for one skill and not Featured for another. You must toggle Featured separately in each skill’s resource edit dialog.
No. SkillsDB does not enforce a limit on the number of Featured resources per skill. However, featuring too many resources reduces the value of the designation. Most organizations feature between two and five resources per skill.
No. Featuring a resource makes it visible in the Featured tab, but employees must still select Add to Plan on the resource card to add it to their learning plan. Featured resources are recommendations, not automatic assignments.

Related Articles

Labels

Organize and categorize skills, careers, training resources, and certifications with color-coded tags

Training

Managing the training resource library, including adding and editing resources

Skills

Managing the skills library where Featured resources are configured

Building a Learning Plan

How employees add resources (including Featured resources) to their personal learning plans

Upskilling

Understanding the broader upskilling workflow that Featured resources support

Need Help?

If you run into any issues or have questions, reach out to your organization’s SkillsDB administrator or contact SkillsDB Support.