During the month of March 2023, we will be present at 2 important international events related to micro-credentials:
The International Micro-Credentials Summit, organized by the Knowledge Innovation Centre (KIC), the State Cooperative University of Baden-Württemberg (DHBW) and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC).
The National Symposium on Micro-credentials: Ecosystems and Alliances, organized by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC).
International Micro-Credentials Summit
The International Micro-Credentials Summit is an international summit of opinion leaders, practitioners, innovators and policymakers , working to improve the flexibility and responsiveness of education systems. It will provide insight around empowering people to create new learning and career pathways while also delving into how to unlock the potential of our economies to transform and address unprecedented social, economic and environmental challenges. Inspired by the success of its latest edition, the MicroHE MasterClass, the Summit will build on the Council of the European Union Recommendation on Microcredentials, finding ways to use this legislative basis as an instrument to accelerate the adoption, acceptance and recognition of short-form education across the continent and beyond.
In addition to a series of laboratory work, round tables and conferences, a MasterClass will take place on March 22 and 23, in which microcredential leaders will provide short and inspiring speeches about their work and share their vision of the future. Within the scope of this MasterClass we have the honor of being able to be present, by the hand of Mr. Carlos Delgado Kloos (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid), who will speak on behalf of the CertiDigital Project in Spain.
Some of the topics that will be addressed during the Summit are:
- Strategic Leadership.
- Digital transformation.
- Recognition and interoperability.
- Microcredentials for lifelong learning.
National Symposium on Micro-credentials
The National Symposium on Micro-credentials will link the vibrant micro-credential ecosystem in Spain with broader trends connected to the European Approach to Microcredentials for Lifelong Learning and Employability.
Within the scope of the Symposium, our esteemed Mr. Carlos Delgado Kloos (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid) and Mr. Lluís Alfons Ariño Martín (Universitat Rovira i Virgili) who are part of CertiDigital , will act as speakers, being members of the Steering Committee and the Technical Committee respectively.
The objectives of the Symposium are:
- Accelerate the national conversation on micro-credentials and generate understanding and consensus among sectors to enable future actions.
- Consider ‘what’s next’ and contribute to the dialogue for an approach to micro-credentials in Spain that is consensus-driven, connected to broader European initiatives, and facilitates understanding, adoption, validation and shared recognition.
In this case, it will focus on “Ecosystems and Partnerships” by broadening the national debate on micro-credentials with broader European initiatives focusing on:
- The meaning of micro-credentials for lifelong learning and higher education.
- The contribution of micro-credentials to employability and to employment-relevant education, training and learning.
- The value of micro-credentials for students in accelerating personal development and professional growth.
- Lessons learned among early adopters, which can serve to guide future action.
About micro-credentials:
On 16 June 2022, the Council of the European Union (EU) adopted a Recommendation on a European approach to microcredentials for lifelong learning and employability. The Recommendation aims to support the development, implementation and recognition of microcredentials across institutions, enterprises, sectors and borders.
Microcredentials certify learning outcomes from short-term learning experiences, such as a course or short training. They offer a flexible and personalized way to help people acquire the knowledge, skills and competences they need for their personal and professional development.
Shorter forms of learning opportunities than traditional qualifications, such as micro-credentials, are developing rapidly across Europe and around the world. These opportunities are offered by a wide variety of public and private providers in response to the demand for more flexible and learner-centred forms of education and training. They also have the potential to offer education and training opportunities to a wider range of learners, including disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.
However, without common standards ensuring quality, transparency, cross-border comparability, recognition and portability, micro-credentials cannot reach their full potential.
Higher education institutions need to rise to the challenges of digitalization and greening the economy, and to do so they must improve access and personalization to teaching, with the requirement to do so more economically given the imperatives of an ageing population.
Conventional curricula are not suited to provide this unprecedented acceleration in demand for specific skill sets, and higher education processes cannot keep up with the increasingly nuanced combinations of rapidly changing expectations raised by their students and employers.
One of the ways to address these challenges is to move from structured degrees and courses to smaller credential stacks. Microcredentials will enable students to bring together learning portfolios from across institutions, bringing together a range of different competencies and areas of knowledge and skills that shape new forms of qualifications and align with employer requirements.