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Over the last year, I have heard the term “micro-credentials” being used by different college institutions and educators in Ireland, but what are they, who are they aimed at and what benefits do they provide prospective students with?
What are micro-credentials?
Micro-credentials (or MicroCreds) are small, specialised units of learning or certifications that focus on specific skills or knowledge areas and are accredited by universities.
They are designed to provide targeted and flexible education or training to individuals, allowing them to acquire specific skills or knowledge without committing to a traditional degree programme. The majority of MicroCred courses offered through the Irish University Association range in length from four weeks up to 12 weeks.
Development of MicroCreds
MicroCreds is an ambitious five-year €12.3m project led by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) in partnership with seven of the founding IUA universities: University College Dublin, University College Cork, University of Limerick, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University, University of Galway and Maynooth University.
Ireland is the first European country to establish a coherent National Framework for quality-assured and accredited micro-credentials. IUA project partner universities are collaborating to develop, pilot and evaluate the building blocks required for a transformation in lifelong learning through micro-credentials.
David Carscadden, the MicroCreds communication and engagement manager at the Irish University Association (IUA), says MicroCreds are “bite-sized courses”.
“Unlike traditional undergraduate programmes or postgraduate programmes, micro-credentials can really focus on a specific topic and they’re all part-time,” he adds.
Ireland is the first European country to establish a coherent National Framework for quality-assured and accredited micro-credentials.
Funding
The MicroCreds Project was awarded funding under the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science’s (DFHERIS) human capital initiative pillar III innovation and agility, with funding drawn from the National Training Fund. The objective of the human capital initiative (HCI) is to meet priority skill needs for enterprises.
As a result of this, the micro-credentials on offer are mainly aimed at postgraduate students. David says the ultimate objective here is upskilling.
“So, it’s [for] people who are out in the workforce, and the majority of people would have some qualification under their belts,” he explains. “But the courses range from level 6 to level 9 on the national training architecture, so they have the scope to range from undergrad through to postgrad.”
Who are they for?
The age demographic for these courses is extremely broad, with a range spanning from 25 up to over 55.
David is seeing many people in established careers going back to upskill, particularly people who are changing industries.
“It gives them the knowledge they need in terms of their current role,” he emphasises.
“It’s either self-reflective, they see there are changes in their industry and they’re not fully up to speed on that, or there might be a skills gap that their employer has highlighted that they want to address as an organisation.
“One of the key elements is the ability to engage with formal education in a way that suits you: the courses are designed to work around your personal and work commitments.”
What is the qualification?
Micro-credentials are all accredited by the university delivering the course. When completed, students receive ECTS credits.
Micro-credentials have a credit range between one to 30 ECTS, dependent on the specific micro-credential in question. Universities are working on the ability to stack up these credentials into larger qualifications.
How to sign up
People can sign up for micro-credentials through the online platform microcreds.ie.
There are currently over 300 courses live on the website, offered through different universities. The cost of the courses ranges from €600 up to €2,000 depending on the course level.
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