TECH4GOOD
Micro-credentials have been creating a buzz lately as a potential path to helping solve the age-old job – skills mismatch issue. Europe recently adopted the Council Recommendation on a European Approach to Micro-credentials for Lifelong Learning and Employability. OECD, meanwhile, launched a Micro-credential Implementation Project last year to help member countries develop national initiatives. Similarly, in the Asia-Pacific region, UNESCO is doing research on national use cases to assist policymakers to become aware of approaches in the region.
We have been going in circles as far as attempts to find a lasting solution to the issue are concerned. Every time we are about to declare to the world that we have the answer, something comes up to disrupt everything that we have worked for. Mostly caused by the fast-changing technology landscape, the nature of jobs seems to change faster than our capacity to understand what is going on. And in most cases, the academe is looked upon as the one that is not doing its job well. Left unresolved, both current and future workers face all the uncertainties brought about by automation and the unchartered terrain of fast-changing workplaces.
Thanks to EdTech platforms like Coursera, Edx, LinkedIn, and Udacity, people are beginning to realize how having a lifelong learning mindset can become an important asset to ensure their continued relevance and participation in the labor market. And the best way to show current and prospective employers what their skills portfolio has is through micro-credentials.
There is no standard definition of a micro-credential. Generally, it is a competency-based and verifiable recognition that a person has demonstrated some level of knowledge or mastery in a particular field. It is usually given at the end of a short and focused training course which may involve some form of assessment. Common attributes are industry recognition and shareability. I have taken quite a few myself and the micro-credentials are shown in my public profiles like on LinkedIn.
Micro-credentials are increasingly promoted as a new and more flexible way of recognizing knowledge, skills, and competencies. It also shows recruiters how a candidate appreciates lifelong learning as a way of developing new skills and competencies. That is why most employers today pay higher attention to micro-credentials.
I have written many times about the mismatch and have even proposed possible solutions. I have touched on the power of lifelong learning in ensuring that our workforce is able to keep abreast of changes in job roles and workplaces. Would learning something new by yourself be enough to show your current and future employer that you have the skills needed to perform the job?That is the space that learning badges can fill in.
If a micro-credential course is designed to teach skills that are currently in demand in the job market, then completing the course can make workers more competitive for those jobs. For example, there is today a high demand for cybersecurity professionals, a micro-credentialed course in cybersecurity can help workers gain the skills needed to qualify for those jobs. It is also a way of helping workers move up the value chain by learning new skills better suited for humans to do as it has become clear that machines will eventually be performing most of the tasks that we humans are currently doing.
While micro-credentials can certainly be part of the solution to the job-skills mismatch, they are not a panacea. A more comprehensive approach that includes a variety of educational and workforce development programs including national policies is likely necessary to fully address the mismatch. All the players such as the industry, academe, and the government will have to play their parts well to ensure some level of success.
A new law, RA 11927, or the Digital Workforce Competitiveness Act of 2022 will soon be operationalized with the expected approval this month of its IRR. This will offer a new vehicle for collaboration by the government, training providers, and industries to ensure the future proofing of our workforce. I certainly hope that micro-credentials would become an important element in its work program. It is seen to play a very important role in all upskilling and reskilling initiatives, improving the employability and labor market participation of workers and lifelong learning activities of everyone.
Let us not underestimate, however, the importance of industry recognition of micro-credentials. We have seen several initiatives undertaken to institutionalize them that resulted in a waste of time and money because the industry did not care about them. That is why the industry must be heavily involved in the design and creation of these instruments. It is not about how many workers have those credentials but how many of them have been absorbed into the workforce. [email protected]
(The author is the lead convenor of the Alliance for Technology Innovators for the Nation (ATIN), vice president of the Analytics Association of the Philippines, and vice president, UP System Information Technology Foundation.)