Micro-credentials: Lifelong Learning for a new era

The State of the Global Workplace: 2021 Report from Gallup highlighted a global decline in employee engagement from 2020 onwards, coinciding with changes wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic. As we move on from lockdowns and restrictions, many of us are reimagining our relationship with the workplace and re-evaluating the type of work we want to do.

A survey published by the Higher Education Authority last September showed that almost half the Irish population would like to retrain to work in a more progressive and evolving sector. It seems that, as a nation, we are collectively looking to pivot into fresh professional fields or expand our knowledge of new and emerging trends. We want to develop new skills that will equip us to make a meaningful contribution to addressing the complex challenges of the future, and that are currently in demand from employers.

In many cases, achieving these ambitions requires upskilling or reskilling to develop new technical and professional competencies. This is where micro-credentials – accredited bite-sized learning – can provide a quality-assured and flexible solution to career development.

Trinity is committed to next-generation teaching and learning, and we are proud that these micro-credentials offer a unique approach to continuing education

“Micro-credentials are a new and rapidly growing development in higher education throughout the EU and globally,” says Dr Ruth Pritchard, Micro-credentials Programme Director at Trinity College Dublin. “They are valued by learners and employers alike for their flexibility as well as their industry relevance. And because micro-credentials are strongly collaborative in their design and delivery, they are highly attuned to enterprise and public sector employer needs.

“Trinity is committed to next-generation teaching and learning,” Pritchard adds, “and we are proud that these micro-credentials offer a unique approach to continuing education. We are truly excited to welcome a diverse group of micro-credential learners who are passionate about putting Trinity’s world-class expertise to use in their day-to-day professional lives.”

Trinity College Dublin is among the first institutions in Ireland to develop and launch a suite of postgraduate level micro-credentials, with funding from the Higher Education Authority under the Human Capital Initiative. HCI supports the development of skills-focused programmes designed to meet priority skills needs. As such, the specific courses being developed at Trinity are directly relevant to industries and professions.

Care has been taken to involve enterprise partners at all stages of course development to ensure that the topics being addressed will better equip Irish industries and broader society in becoming future-fit. For example, micro-credentials currently on offer address low carbon innovation, drone technology, equality and diversity, and the enactment of human rights in specialist fields.

Addressing a specific skills shortage was a strong motivator for the National Transport Authority to work with Trinity to co-create a micro-credential in Transport Modelling and Planning, says Margaret Malone, Head of Corporate Services at the NTA.

“We have a skills deficit in terms of transport planning and transport modelling nationally,” she says. “Given the huge range of projects coming over the next few years, and what is contained in the National Development Plan, we really need people with these skills to support us and work with us. This micro-credential is going to help us to build the skills level nationally. As an organisation, we’ve gained a lot from being involved in the development of this course, and from engaging with academic staff and students at Trinity.”

This micro-credential is going to help us to build the skills level nationally

Four schools at Trinity are currently designing and delivering micro-credentials: the School of Social Work and Social Policy, the School of Nursing & Midwifery, the School of Engineering, and Trinity Business School. All four share the aim of empowering learners to respond to rapid technological, professional and societal change and to ready themselves for success in the future world of work.

A set of unique features distinguish micro-credentials from traditional postgraduate courses. One is the comparatively short length of time needed to complete one: between five and 24 weeks. There is also inherent flexibility in micro-credentials in terms of delivery. Many are offered as blended learning or taught fully online, which means that learners can access materials at a time and pace that allows greater balance with both life and work commitments. The fact that they are focused on specific skills and industries also means that the content learned in the course is immediately relevant to the workplace.

“What I’ve enjoyed most is being back in a learning environment and getting information that is directly relevant to what I’m doing day to day,” says Simon Delany, a past learner on the micro-credential in Finance for Non-Financial Managers. “My background is very technical, so I wanted to expand my knowledge in the area of finance. Sometimes it can feel like what you are learning is purely theoretical, whereas this is very specific, with worked examples that will apply to going back to the office.

“The atmosphere in the classroom was very welcoming and positive, and the fact that the room is filled with people from different industries is very helpful as well, as it helps you think about the content from a different perspective.”

The atmosphere in the classroom was very welcoming and positive, and the fact that the room is filled with people from different industries is very helpful as well

Another key quality that separates micro-credentials from some CPD or certificate courses is the formal accreditation attached, via the awarding of ECTS credits by Trinity College Dublin. ECTS – the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System – is an academic credit system based on the estimated workload required to achieve the learning outcomes of a programme of study.

As ECTS is the recommended credit system for higher education in the EU, credits gained from successful completion of a micro-credential are formally recognised by higher education providers across Europe, and even further afield.

Taking a micro-credential at Trinity College Dublin gives learners the opportunity to engage with world-leading academics, researchers and experts in a particular field. Trinity is the highest-ranked university in Ireland, is ranked in the top 50 worldwide in a range of subject areas, and is ranked 37th in Europe and 1st in Ireland for teaching and learning quality (THE Europe Teaching Rankings 2019). The academic staff involved in developing and delivering Trinity micro-credentials bring their wealth of expertise and insights directly into the course content and  classroom discussions.

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