Micro-credentials in the European context
Micro-credentials allow for more flexible and scalable learning. A European strategy will aid in the expansion of learning possibilities and the strengthening of the function of higher education and industrial training and education institutions in continuous learning. Micro-credentials can be developed and given by a range of providers in a variety of formal, non-formal, and unstructured educational contexts due to their flexibility.
Why is it necessary to take a European approach?
Maintaining and obtaining new skills is necessary for direct involvement in society, as well as personal, societal, and professional development, and also increased employability and socioeconomic development. Micro-credentials are very valuable for persons who wish to acquire new skills or reskill in order to fulfill labor demands of the market or future professional practice after starting work.
One of the 12 flagship activities in the European Skills Agenda, which was released on July 1, 2020, is to encourage the excellence, transparency, and acceptance of micro-credentials throughout Europe. The Council Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in training and education more toward the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030) aims to help individuals gain the knowledge, skills, and expertise they need to prosper in an emerging workforce organization and economy, as well as to benefit significantly from a socially merely recovering and just shifts to the green and digital economy.
The proposal lays out a European strategy for developing the micro-credentials eco-system, as well as applying a single EU definition, EU standards, and significant dimensions for the creation and issuing of micro-credentials, including its portability. Micro-credentials have the potential to boost continuous learning and employment, according to the proposal.
What does this mean for the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD)?
The European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD), based in Brussels, Belgium, is a European umbrella organization that represents around 17,000 supportive service providers for persons with disabilities from 33 European countries.
Accessibility to relatively brief education recognized by micro-credentials could help people with disabilities participate more fully in jobs and education. Micro-credentials are adaptable, short-term, and accessible to all types of learners, and if available, they could provide persons with disabilities with opportunities for training and formal certification of skills tailored to their specific requirements.
Micro-credentialing in the EU could help people with disabilities integrate into society by addressing professionals in the supportive social sector. The rate and efficiency of this transformation can be impacted by the characteristics and availability of training.