Polygon Created with Sketch. Home | Research

Is the Future Micro? Unbundling Learning for Flexibility & Access

Micro-credentials focus on assessing the achievement of incremental parcels of learning related to a particular skill or competency.

Key Takeaways

1

Traditional educational credential systems have not always succeeded in recognizing specific skill sets needed for someone to be work-ready, either post-graduation or between jobs.

2

Some employers have begun questioning the connection between “seat time” and education, noting that they are losing confidence that higher education graduates always possess the skills associated with their credentials upon graduation.

3

Micro-credentials can validate skills gained through experience or prior learning, opening access to employment, post-secondary programming, and lifelong learning opportunities.

Executive Summary

Traditional educational credential systems that focus on certificates, diplomas, and degrees have served to measure and accredit achievement across a wide area of knowledge. However, they have not always succeeded in recognizing specific skill sets needed for someone to be work-ready, either post-graduation or between jobs. Some employers have begun questioning the connection between “seat time” and education, noting that they are losing confidence that higher education graduates always possess the skills associated with their credentials upon graduation.

Micro-credentials that demonstrate specific skills acquisition represent one solution to this perceived problem. Micro-credentials focus on assessing the achievement of incremental parcels of learning related to a particular skill or competency. Micro-credentials can validate skills gained through experience or prior learning, opening access to employment, post-secondary programming, and lifelong learning opportunities.

Related Research

Workers in a construction site
Research

Rising Skills: Digital Upskilling for Advanced Manufacturing Workplaces

Tradespeople need 21st-century digital skills to adapt to today’s more technologically advanced manufacturing sector. This summary looks at ways to strengthen training in Canadian manufacturing.
Street scene of groups of people crossing the street
Research

Are Adults Making Use of Career Services in Canada?

Career services represent an important way for Canadians to attain reliable and accurate labour market information (LMI), such as job opportunities, potential earnings and skill requirements, as well as a wide range of supports to support success in learning and work.
a snowy field with northern lights.
Research

Getting Beyond Non-Standard Employment: Sustainable livelihoods for Indigenous communities in Northern Canada

This research project seeks to understand why Indigenous workers in Canada’s North tend to be concentrated in part-year and part-time work, and which career pathways and supports can help them achieve more sustainable livelihoods.
View all Research