The big benefits of micro-credentials

Tony Maguire offers up five micro-credential tips to help keep your employees engaged whilst learning.

Workshops, MBAs, certificates or courses – there are now more learning opportunities for employees looking to earn accreditation in new skills. Some of these involve a large commitment of time and resources but micro-credentials still continue to offer businesses and employees a better option because they’re quick and focused.

A micro-credential is a representation of a competency or achievement that’s earned through a short, focused program. To receive one, learners need to demonstrate that they’ve met a set of requirements that could be tied to either one of two benchmarks:

• Progress: Does the person need to complete a specific activity or module?
• Performance: Does the learner need to submit an assessment to show their mastery of a skill?

Each micro-credential also needs to contain important information about how the learner achieved it, the evidence that backs it up, and who issued it in order to make it easier to verify and validate in the future.

One of the benefits of micro-credentials is that they’re flexible. They can be used for one-off qualifications that are finished in a week or as part of a larger stacked program that takes a year or more to finish. They can target soft skills like communication, management, or leadership or technical ones like getting people up to speed with new or updated software.

Employers like micro-credentials because they add “stickiness,” getting employees excited about their professional development.

Whether an organisation is starting from scratch or is looking to revamp an existing micro-credentialing program, there are five tips to keep in mind.

1. Measure competency, not time spent learning

Micro-credentials should be enticing because, from the learner’s perspective, that’s one of the appealing things about them. They only require a few hours or weeks of a person’s time. Plus, at the end, people get a badge they’re able to share with their networks through social media platforms.

At the same time, micro-credentials need to be aligned with learners’ and an organisation’s goals. That can be key to helping move the needle on professional development in meaningful, real ways and driving lasting engagement and growth with the programs.

2. Encourage collaboration with peers

One thing that’s important to remember about adult learners is that they’re often coming to the table with years of real-world experience. Building collaboration into learning and training experiences can be valuable because it shows them respect for the knowledge and expertise they already have and it gives them a chance to share it.

3. Relate the content to the learner’s job

Adults are selective, solution-oriented learners. The more applicable learning can be to what they want or need to do in their roles, the more appealing it will be to them.

4. Keep programs focused

One of the hallmarks of micro-credentials is that they put laser focus on a specific skill or competency. Don’t lose sight of that.

5. Lean into program data

Ultimately, an employer wants to make sure its business’s micro-credentialing programs are having an impact on its organisation and its learners. There is data available to measure this via a variety of sources, including learner surveys and a learning management system used to deliver the tailored programs. This can help shine a light on the impact training programs are having today and open the door to future improvements and iterations.

 Article by Tony Maguire, Regional Director, Australia & New Zealand at D2L.