Are microcredentials becoming a big deal?

Microcredentials are becoming a hot topic. With European labour markets rapidly becoming greener and more digital, microcredentials look set to take centre stage as a way to recognise the short, targeted learning activities that Europe needs to upskill and reskill its workforce.

Below, Cedefop outlines some of the strengths and weaknesses of microcredentials. A more in-depth discussion about microcredentials – how European countries use them, their institutional context, and how they can be ‘stacked’ to build recognised qualifications, can be found in Cedefop’s latest briefing note.

In recent years, microcredentials have proliferated across European countries. They play a role in certifying IT courses and health workers’ professional development, as well as in other sectors and occupations. However, only lately have microcredentials gained EU-wide attention in policy debates.

To address this situation, in 2021, the European Commission conducted a public consultation on microcredentials and submitted a Proposal for a Council recommendation on a European approach to microcredentials for lifelong learning and employability. On 19 May 2022, the Parliament’s Culture Committee adopted a resolution on the Council recommendations on microcredentials, individual accounts and environmental sustainability to support their implementation across Member States and help reinforce the links between these tools and goals.

Cedefop, for its part, has conducted a research study on microcredentials to inform policy discussions at European and national level (forthcoming). It contains a wealth of information on the use and nature of microcredentials in different European countries.

To further debate, Cedefop, together with the French presidency, organised a seminar on the theme Microcredentials - are they here to stay? on 9 June. Speakers included Cedefop director Jürgen Siebel, Chiara Rondino from the Commission’s DG Employment, Aline Humbert, Chair of the Education Committee, French Presidency of the Council of the EU, as well as Cedefop experts.

Just published: check out Cedefop's briefing note on microcredentials which outlines the main results of our forthcoming research study and provides an overview of the opportunities and challenges linked to them.

Listen to Cedefop’s podcast on microcredentials.

Further information on microcredentials is available on the webpages of Cedefop’s conference on Microcredentials: tools for upskilling, which took place in November 2021 and brought together experts from the European Commission, the OECD, Unesco and European social partner organisations. Please consult also Cedefop’s project pages on microcredentials.

Interested in obtaining first-hand information from Cedefop experts on this subject? Our experts on the team are happy to talk to you and share their insight

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