Author: Patricia Camporeale UNIR
Micro-credentials (MCs) are certifications focused on specific sets of learning outcomes in particular areas. They are completed in a short period and allow students to demonstrate their skills and competencies, enhancing their competitiveness in the job market.
Moreover, they are especially useful for students to showcase their abilities in new technologies when academic degrees or formal courses are not fully established. For example, many business leaders state that they would not hire candidates for certain positions without skills in artificial intelligence (AI). In this case, MCs provide a successful way for students to validate their knowledge and skills in AI within the professional field.
The most recent Future of Jobs Report from the World Economic Forum predicts that by 2027, 61% of workers will need to undergo retraining, and 4 million new technology-driven jobs will be created globally during that period. Furthermore, according to a survey conducted by Coursera in 2024, a leading e-learning platform, 97% of higher education leaders from institutions that offer MCs believe these certifications improve students’ long-term professional prospects. These institutions recognize that they have expanded their offerings with a greater variety of MCs since their introduction. However, institutions offering academic credits for these courses account for only 46% in Europe, which is lower than the global average of 53%. Academic credits for MCs will not only attract students but also help universities bridging the gap between industry and higher education. With a low offering in Europe, only 56% of students agree that they would be likely to choose these credited MCs.
In Europe, MCs at higher levels are already implemented in some countries with varying degrees of success, but without European-wide recognition. For instance, Spain has already issued regulations to make them modular, stackable, and academic-credited. It is beginning to offer some MC courses that include all these features, but they are not yet recognized at the European level, limiting worker mobility.
The European project Green Circle, an Erasmus+ initiative, proposes to develop a set of resources to build a sustainable model for MCs, based on green skills, in the construction sector towards a green transition. It is planned the development of eight MCs to be piloted in Germany, Greece, Portugal, and Spain, within an ecosystem spanning across the economy and with the potential to be transferred to other sectors.