A webinar on microcredentials

Good practice examples of using microcredentials can be seen in various countries around the world, including Czechia.

On 12 May 2022 the EARLALL (European Association of Regional and Local Authorities for Lifelong Learning) and SwissCore (Contact Office for European Research, Innovation and Education) organized a webinar on the current topic of microcredentials (European Approach to Microcredentials).

First, William O’Keeffe from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) informed participants about a Proposal for a Council Recommendation on a European approach to microcredentials for lifelong learning and employability. He mentioned that the demand for microcredentials and their widespread use increased exponentially during the pandemic. Some of the platforms offering microcredentials have reported an increase of up to 400 %.  He mentioned that, especially in connection with the green and digital transformation, there was a need to increase the up-skilling and re-skilling of workers and to harmonize the use of microcredentials across member states in order to create a common framework and standards.

Good practice examples from European countries

During the second part of the webinar, practical examples from different European countries were presented. Svatopluk Štolfa and his colleague Marek Spányik from VŠB-TUO and the Automotive Skills Alliance introduced the possibilities of using microcredentials in the automotive industry. An example from Ireland was presented by Emma Francis from the Irish Universities Association. The project "MicroCreds", including 7 universities, establishes a collective national framework for high-quality and accredited microcredentials. Pascal Paschoud, President of Swissuni and Executive Director for Further Education at EPFL in Switzerland, presented a university perspective emphasizing flexibility, modularity and individualization in using microcredentials. Björn Flintberg, Project Leader at the Research Institute of Sweden RISE, presented a pilot project proposing courses that connect the professional sector with universities to cover all levels of education. Last but not least, Neus Caufapé, Principal of Institut Escola del treball de Lleida and Cristina Marfil, Technical Advisor at the Directorate-General for Vocational Education and Training, Regional Ministry of Education of the Government of Catalonia, presented an example from Spain. A new law has been introduced in this country, which requires all courses and modules to be accreditable, cumulative and recognized. The Erasmus + project MICROVET: An Opportunity to Upskill VET graduates was also introduced.

The webinar was concluded by EARLALL with the information on a follow-up meeting in autumn 2022 on the topic of individual learning accounts. More information, including all presentations and webinar recording, can be found on the EARLALL website.