Find out if "microcredentials" will be useful in your life. Will the project help develop skills?
The aim of the project "Microcredentials - piloting a new solution to support lifelong learning," which began in October 2023 at the Educational Research Institute, is to examine whether microcredentials can be useful for developing various skills in line with the concept of lifelong learning, and to design the process of their issuance and collection.
The project - to achieve its goals - is divided into four areas:
- Developing standards and solutions for designing, describing, awarding, and ensuring the credibility of microcredentials.
- Pilot implementation of digital microcredentials for skills and achievements.
- Enhancing the usability and accessibility of the Odznaka+ (Badge+) application as a tool to support the use of microcredentials.
- Promoting microcredentials in the lifelong learning process and taking actions to incorporate this solution into practice or policy.
What are microcredentials?
A microcredential is a document that serves as proof of achieving skills with limited effort in a specific area. Skills are verified based on transparent criteria by institutions (e.g., schools, higher education institutions, educational institutions, NGOs, associations and sports clubs, companies) using established quality assurance standards. A microcredential belongs to the learner and can either stand alone or be combined into larger credentials. Microcredentials can be collected and shared, for example, in digital format. The use of microcredentials is a response to evolving education methods and labour market needs.
The European Commission recommends that member states use microcredentials to, among others:
- facilitate the acquisition and updating of knowledge, skills, and social competencies that ensure success in a changing labour market;
- support the preparation of organisers offering microcredentials to enhance the quality, transparency, accessibility, and flexibility of educational offerings to ensure adoption of individual learning and career paths.
The project implements these recommendations by developing standards for creating and awarding microcredentials to meet credibility requirements in the labour market. By awarding microcredentials in digital format, they will be more accessible and better suited to the demands of the modern world.
A important element of the project is the use of the innovative Odznaka+ application. Thanks to the application, created at the Educational Research Institute, users will be able to collect and award digital microcredentials. This method of skill certification is a significant convenience for individuals acquiring skills not only in schools or higher education institutions but also through non-formal and informal learning. The application will also benefit badge issuers, such as higher education institutions, educational institutions, NGOs, and companies, as well as their recipients, such as recruitment agencies or employers looking for candidates. They will find it easier to identify suitable individuals by reviewing their microcredentials, which reflect what they can truly do, says Michał Nowakowski, leader of the "Microcredentials - piloting a new solution to support lifelong learning" project.
Who is the project aimed at?
The project "Microcredentials - piloting a new solution to support lifelong learning" is primarily aimed at individuals, institutions, and companies working to develop skills in the ICT sector, including:
- representatives of higher education institutions (rectors, lecturers),
- representatives of associations, educational institutions, and NGOs,
- employers looking for workers with specific skills,
- training companies,
- recruitment agencies,
- industry and sector organisations,
- employees,
- young people entering the job market, such as final-year students and interns.
Microcredentials in the IQS and the IQR
The project will analyse the possibilities of incorporating microcredentials into the state's toolkit for developing skills in line with lifelong learning. This analysis will also include the integration of microcredentials with the Integrated Qualifications System (IQS) and the Integrated Qualifications Register (IQR).
The Odznaka+ application will link microcredentials with the IQR, providing awarding bodies with the possibility of step-by-step certification of achievements in the process of awarding free-market qualifications within the IQS. This will be possible through awarding digital microcredentials for sets of learning outcomes.
Visit the website https://microcredentials.pl/
Project co-financed by the European Funds for Social Development
#EUFunds