What are Microcredentials?

Microcredentials range from single-day learning experiences to multi-week courses, but all are designed to teach a specific skill within a short timeframe. After completion, individuals receive proof of completion, which can come in different formats such as digital badges or certificates.

The benefits of Microcredentials:

For job seekers:
Microcredentials allow individuals to learn at their own pace, without paying the hefty price tag of a full certificate or degree program. This is especially beneficial for working professionals and those with caregiving responsibilities who can fit education around their schedules.

For employers:
Microcredentials offer a solution for employers to quickly upskill employees, addressing immediate skill gaps within organizations. Investing in employees’ professional development can increase job satisfaction, loyalty, and retention rates.

For Educators:
By offering microcredentials, educational institutions can attract a broader range of students, including working professionals seeking to upskill without committing to a full degree program.

For employers:
As organizations acquire new skills and knowledge, they can drive innovation, improve productivity, and contribute to the overall competitiveness of the economy.

For workplace development practitioners:
Microcredentials offer workforce development practitioners a powerful tool to make sure job seekers have the right skills that employers are looking for, improving job placement success rates and strengthening their relationship with employers.

Putting Microcredentials in action

WHO: Organizations and governments

ACTION: Standardize microcredentials, similar to existing standards for post-secondary, K12, apprenticeships and other educational models in Canada.

Other considerations

Why we need standardized credentials

As the demand for faster retraining options skyrockets, mini courses on platforms like LinkedIn offer the chance to get up to speed on a new skill for a minimal investment of time and money. And once those courses are completed, the learner may earn a badge or a microcredential. But will that microcredential be recognized by an employer or an institution? The reskilling/upskilling landscape does not yet have the same standard accreditation processes that exist in universities, which makes it hard to find high-quality, industry-relevant, fast and affordable training that is portable across regions and sectors.

The challenge of establishing trust

For microcredentials to be truly valuable, they need to earn the trust of various stakeholders, including potential learners, employers, the wider community, other educational institutions, and regulatory bodies. One approach is to establish trust by creating clear and transparent quality standards. BCcampus has developed a Microcredential Toolkit for the province of BC that aims to do just that.

How to build trust through quality standards

The BCcampus toolkit recommends micro-credentials be developed, approved and periodically reviewed, through an institutional process that aligns with existing post-secondary standards and policies, for credit and non-credit offerings, to ensure value to learners in meeting education or employment goals.

How to contribute to building the microcredential system:

Educational Institutions

Develop and update curricula, ensure rigorous assessment, and implement quality control.

Industry Professionals and Employers

Give input on curriculum relevance, provide practical experiences, and value microcredentials in recruitment.

Accreditation Bodies

Set quality standards, conduct audits, and ensure transparency.

Learners

Actively participate, provide course feedback, and share outcomes. Knowing an institution engages in quality assurance means peace of mind.

Government and Policy Makers

Support regulatory frameworks, provide funding, and facilitate industry-education collaboration.

Technology Providers

Offer robust platforms for credential delivery, enable credential verification, and provide learning analytics.

An example of standards in action

Following widespread consultation with employers and the public in Ontario, the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) developed a set of recommendations for setting up a quality assurance framework for microcredentials including the proposed principles shown in Figure 1. Though not captured in the figure, the authors note the importance of transparency throughout the entire process.

National accreditation is next

DIGITAL is working with community partners to co-create a system where employees or job seekers who complete rapid reskilling training receive a standardized microcredential that would be recognized across the country. These types of credentials would be standardized to align with credentials that already exist for post-secondary, K12, apprenticeships and other educational models in Canada.

Case Stories from the Field

What they’re doing

The training bundle that participants have access to includes:

• Microsoft certification courses in: 1) cloud security, 2) fundamentals in identity, security, and compliance and 3) fundamentals in artificial intelligence
• ICTC’s library of work-integrated learning courses that are all offered online
• A 16-week paid work-integrated learning placement in the cybersecurity sector
• a mentorship program to build networking and community

Integrating industry-recognized certifications

The ICTC’s Cybersecurity Training and Work Integrated Learning program’s primary objective is to use industry-recognized certifications to help fill the gap in skilled digital workers in Canada. To make this program a success, ICTC has partnered with:

• Microsoft, who provides the courses free of charge as well as the certifications for individuals who take the program
• Post-secondary institutions, to source participants and provide a training program that includes work-intergrated learning that apply toward the individual’s degree
• Employers, who have received wage subsidies to hire post-secondary students

Impressive results

The Cybersecurity Training and Work Integrated Learning program has moved the needle on adding diversity to Canada’s cybersecurity workforce:

• To date, 150 women+ and equity deserving participants have the skills and experience they need to qualify for entry-level cybersecurity jobs
• If successful, an additional 150 Women+ will be engaged in the project in 2024-25.

Continue with the Rapid Skilling System Playbook

You just explored Element 04.Credentials, where Sarah acquired the qualifications she needs to make her career transition possible. Next up: Element 05. Job Placement, where Sarah achieves her goal of transitioning to a new career.

element 05

Job Placement

To land a job is the initial goal but it doesn’t stop here: the ongoing success of the Rapid Skilling System relies heavily on employers adopting skills-based practices in both hiring and career development initiatives.

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