In a number of countries, students build up portfolios of their achievements as they study. These are then presented when they apply for jobs or for further study. Various projects exist which are exploring the "e-Portfolio" concept where such portfolios are maintained and presented online, enabling greater power and flexibility in displaying achievements. However, the validation of certificates of attainment which the student is presenting has not been addressed until now.The process by which achievements are verified is called "eCertification". It raises interesting issues as it involves three-party authentication. An "eCert" project has recently run in order to explore these issues. This paper records the lessons learned about how we may best approach the process of validating students' claimed awards in such an environment.