Imagine a recent graduate armed with a degree but struggling to convey their specific skills to potential employers. Now picture that same graduate confidently presenting a suite of microcredentials that precisely showcase their abilities. This scenario isn’t just possible; it’s becoming increasingly necessary in today’s competitive job market.
Yet, some educational institutions view microcredentials with skepticism, dismissing them as unfamiliar to employers and not worth the investment. While this perspective is understandable, it overlooks the potential of these programs. Microcredentials offer immediate benefits for learners and institutions alike, from empowering students to better articulate their skills to forging stronger connections with employers. By addressing common misconceptions and showcasing the advantages, educational institutions can lead the way in preparing learners for the demands of the modern workforce.
What exactly makes microcredential programs so valuable? Here are four key benefits for learners, institutions and employers.
1. Puts Learners in Charge of Their Future
One of the benefits microcredential programs often cite is that the students better understand the skills and knowledge they are gaining through the program because those skills and competencies are described in the credential. For example, instead of saying they took a speech class, they can break down the specific skills they learned or had to use, such as public speaking, critical thinking and research.
That understanding creates a link between academia and the workforce because it helps establish a common language, ensuring learners are prepared to meet the evolving demands of the job market. Microcredentials can be shared immediately after they’re earned, allowing individuals to showcase their skills and communication abilities even before completing a final degree or earning full credit. It also allows learners to pause and restart their learning journey, providing flexibility that traditional pathways often lack.
2. Empowers Learners To Showcase Achievements
The breakdown of microcredentials gives learners the language they need to articulate the competencies and skills they gain from various experiences. If that microcredential is issued in a digital form, it can provide verifiable proof of those competencies and skills. Such analysis is increasingly being used by employers when reviewing resumes, especially those that use software to analyze applications.
Digital credentials that adhere to Open Badges or the CLR Standard include metadata that verifies their authenticity and provides rich details about projects, assessments and skills.
By following the open standards, these credentials are developed to give the learner greater agency over the credential. They’re designed to be interoperable and, therefore, more portable because they can be issued, accepted and read by various tools and platforms. The credentials are also capable of capturing skills acquired outside of the classroom.
It’s also important to note that while not all employers or organizations use software to analyze job applications, more and more are moving in that direction. By issuing digital credentials now, your learners can take advantage of those current and future opportunities.
3. Underscores the Value of Educational Experiences
One of the biggest hurdles educational institutions face is changing the mindset from focusing on credit hours to skills. This does not necessarily mean changing what you teach, but it does mean considering how you are meeting workforce needs.
This change in mindset can also help combat the narrative that higher education is losing value. By drawing a direct connection between what your learners gain from your instruction and what employers need from potential employees, the value you offer becomes clearer.
Microcredentials are not a threat to traditional credentials but rather can complement them by showcasing the skills and competencies those traditional credentials and the learner’s extracurricular experiences offer employers. By emphasizing skills over credit hours, institutions can better meet workforce demands and highlight the unique value they provide in preparing learners for real-world success.
4. Strengthens Educator-Employer Relationships
All of the benefits above can also help simplify the hiring process for employers by giving learners the language to communicate their skills and competencies; they make it easier for employers and hiring managers to verify those skills and competencies; and they help draw a direct line between those skills and competencies to the workforce skills employers are looking for. Digital credentials also meet employers’ needs because they can be earned in a shorter time and can be adjusted as the workforce market demands change.
A key component to achieving these benefits is working alongside employers and industry professionals as you develop those credentials. By working directly with employers, you can ensure you are using language that is meaningful to them and that the skills and competencies you are offering are what they are currently looking for while also strengthening your institution’s or organization’s relationship with those employers.
Educators in both K-12 and higher education found employers and other stakeholders are open and often excited to join these collaborations. By partnering with industry leaders, educators can ensure that their credentials align with current workforce needs, fostering trust and opening doors to future collaborations.
Taking the First or Next Step
1EdTech Consortium members meet throughout the year to expand the use and value of microcredentials, share real-world examples of how they work and improve standards and frameworks to better meet the needs of all stakeholders. You can see all the events 1EdTech staff hosts and attends, including the annual 1EdTech Digital Credentials Summit, as well as learn more about the organization’s work in digital credentials at 1edtech.org.
