A couple of papers have emerged in Europe in the last little while. Both are from Cedefop – the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training. The first is a research paper published in December 2023. Another, released early this year, is a briefing note.
Regular readers will know that Micro credentials has been a recurrent topic in our articles for VDC News as a Google search would show.
What the two publications seem to tell us
The research paper is the third in a series Cedefop have published on the topic. It notes that:
“Micro credentials have … become a feature of the evolving CVET (continuing vocational education and training) systems, while they have the potential to support lifelong and life-wide learning, notably by improving the interaction between initial education and training and upskilling and reskilling policies and practices.”
The briefing note suggests that micro credentials are expected to continue to play an increasing role in workforce development, individual recruitment or as a bridge to further learning. Put simply, they are seen as post initial top up education and training aimed at addressing personal and/or career development needs.
They are also “largely associated with … flexibility and their focus on labour market relevant skills.” It’s also important to their perceived quality that employers or professional organisations are involved in their design, the research paper suggests. They can also play a role in accreditation and certification, particularly in fast moving occupational areas and industries.
However, both the research paper and briefing note suggest that their quality assurance, and the quality of the providers offering them is very important. The reputation of the providers is an issue raised in the briefing note. Essentially, and as the briefing note points out, it’s about building trust, and:
“Both learners and their employers need assurance that the promised learning outcomes will be achieved; the outcomes of the learning experience must be worth the investment made by the learner or his/her employer.”
Finally, the research paper points out that:
“A consolidated research strategy on micro credentials will allow for an iterative approach to developing and mainstreaming micro credential design and provision, while also recognising that comprehensive supporting structures are needed for more learners and SMEs to engage in, and benefit from, micro credentials.”
The briefing note points to “learners increasingly need shorter, more flexible re- or upskilling formats, which fit with their schedules, professional needs and work-life balance.” It’s also about their potential to support agility. This is because their content allows them to respond to real, current skill demand, and “this is the number one reason why people take them up.” In addition, “their design is a light task compared to that of a formal qualification, hence their flexibility and capacity to respond to emerging needs, but also their shorter shelf life.”
The briefing note points to an observed “growing interest among stakeholders in another aspect of micro credentials: their potential to aid the inclusion of vulnerable learners: migrants, early leavers from education and training, persons with disabilities or other disadvantaged persons.”
However, it also points to a fear by some that “an uncontrolled proliferation of micro credentials is likely to prompt a general shift away from holistic (initial) education and training to short learning experiences offering reduced skillsets and potentially undermining traditional education and training systems.”
Balance is what seems to be needed.
The briefing note raises the issue of stackability, that is: “adding up several micro credentials (or modules) to full qualifications.” This is already common practice in some EU Member States, “offering learners an incentive to strengthen and to document their skills.”
“However, Cedefop research has shown that such an accumulation often does not work for micro credentials outside formal systems, as they are underpinned by different assessment, recognition and quality assurance practices.”
In conclusion, the briefing note suggests that “micro credentials are here to stay but their future is open.” Further experimentation with practical initiatives, as well as knowledge sharing between them, are needed to support the development and mainstreaming of micro credentials “and to define their role in national skills formation systems.”
