Three steps to developing useful microcredentials - Natcha Thawesaengskulthai, THE Campus

Alternative credentials have become increasingly popular in the higher education sphere, especially in the wake of the global pandemic. While a set definition has yet to be agreed upon, microcredentials can be understood as mini-credits, narrower in range and scope than traditional qualifications. Microcredentials are particularly beneficial when linked to fast-changing industry skills requirements. A microcredential does not award a degree but rather a “credential,” or a type of badge. Coursework is mandatory, and this determines the success of the learner. This makes microcredentials versatile and useful for all types of students, from prior degree holders to market veterans.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/three-steps-developing-useful-microcredentials

New Tech Start programme helps WA women enter space industry - Catherine Knowles, IT Brief AU

In partnership with Microsoft, Modis is launching a new educational initiative and programme named Tech Start. Designed specifically for and with the South Australian space, defence and technology industry, Tech Start is designed to help South Australian women gain industry recognised micro-credentials, professional mentoring and career development support. Tech Start will provide the connections and pathways to help women pursue a career in the growing space and defence industry. The first Tech Start program will help candidates acquire the skills and industry recognised micro-credentials necessary to step into an entry level data analyst role.

https://itbrief.com.au/story/new-tech-start-programme-helps-wa-women-enter-space-industry

Territorium, Credential Engine to Match Skill Sets With Jobs - GovTech

Looking to expand its footprint in the education technology space, Texas-based software company Territorium has entered into a partnership with a credential database nonprofit in Washington, D.C., that could lead to better job placement and career pathways for students, and easier head-hunting for employers. The company announced last week that its Territorium Comprehensive Learner Record, or TerritoriumCLR — an artificial intelligence-powered tool that distills a person’s academic history into a transcript of competencies and skills — will work with Credential Engine to make it easier for students to find available jobs and schools that align with their credentials. The partnership will also give higher education institutions the ability to access TerritoriumCLR and the nonprofit’s credential registry to tailor their educational programs to suit workforce demands and help employers find the most qualified applicants.

https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/territorium-credential-engine-to-match-skill-sets-with-jobs

Top 10 companies that don’t require College Degree - SRESTHA ROY, Tech Story

Many people don’t have the time or money to get a college degree as college tuition continues to rise around the globe. That does not, however, imply that your work prospects are bleak. Many companies are now offering well-paying jobs to people who have non-traditional schooling or college degree.  Not surprisingly, the list begins with Google, but you may be surprised at some of the others in the top ten.

https://techstory.in/top-10-companies-that-dont-require-college-degree/

Google Career Certificates: Heralding the Future - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

Postsecondary education is broken. The signs are obvious and pervasive. Although not perfect and not a universal solution, Google has launched an alternative approach that illuminates the way to address many of the shortcomings that plague our current system. While the problems with education beyond high school are deep and many, three towering issues loom over the rest. They are staggering student debt, non-completion rates nearing 40%, and graduating students who are ill-prepared for the workforce.  Combined, they make continuing our current model untenable for the future. The real game changer, to my mind, is Google’s partner program with employers.

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/google-career-certificates-heralding-future

Automatic credential suggestions coming to popular learner-records platform - Emily Bamforth, EdScoop

A company that designs digital records to store student coursework and professional experience plans to integrate automated credential suggestions into its software. The company, Territorium, announced a partnership with the nonprofit Credential Engine on Monday with the goal of adding that functionality. By integrating Credential Engine’s national database of certificates, degrees, apprenticeships and micro-credentials into a learner record, students would be able to see in their profiles education opportunities relevant to their skills and goals, Territorium founder Guillermo Elizondo told EdScoop.

https://edscoop.com/territorium-credential-engine-learner-records/

Q&A: HOW DO YOU EDUCATE TOP EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS? BY CONSTANTLY LEARNING. - UVA Today

To better train those who work with young children, the University of Virginia’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies works with education researchers to make sure the school’s concentration in early childhood evolves with the latest research in the field, giving students tested and proven tools for success. UVA Today asked Jennifer LoCasale-Crouch, a research associate professor in UVA’s School of Education and Human Development and the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, to give a glimpse behind the scenes of the program’s development. The center, referred to as CASTL, was founded by School of Education Dean Robert Pianta as a research center focused on effective teaching and learning.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/qa-how-do-you-educate-top-early-childhood-educators-constantly-learning

How micro-credentials are helping higher ed master the post-COVID moment.- Matt Zalaznick, University Business

Digital badges allow students to promote themselves with richer information about their new competencies. As micro-credentials take hold across higher ed, “soft skills” such as communication and creativity are now as central to instruction as are the technical skills taught in these professional pathways. The driving force behind the rise of micro-credentials is two-fold. One, they provide paths for professionals and traditional students to add new skills at an accelerated and more affordable pace. Secondly, the digital credentials and badges awarded give employers richer information about the specific skills a student has acquired.

https://universitybusiness.com/micro-credentials-digital-badges-higher-ed-master-post-covid-moment/

Colorado embraces “apprenticeships,” re-tooling college to meet company needs - Bruce Finley, Denver Post

U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, touring MSU Denver’s industry-oriented advanced manufacturing labs with state leaders on Wednesday, announced that the federal government will invest $113 million to expand on-the-job learning nationwide as part of college studies. “Colorado is leading the way,” Walsh said, nodding to Polis and praising MSU Denver president Janine Davidson and Colorado higher education director Angie Paccione for their leadership.

https://www.denverpost.com/2022/02/24/colorado-apprenticeships-workforce-training-college/

Funding for two new micro-credentialing programs awarded to Queen’s - Eddie Daniels, Queens University

 An award of more than $500,000 by the Ontario Micro-credentials Challenge Fund will propel two new micro-credentialing programs at Queen’s this coming fall. The funding will help create a certificate in both the Smith School of Business and Centre for Neuroscience Studies (CNS). The Certificate in Indigenous Leadership, Innovation, and Management is being developed by Smith in partnership with Redbird Circle Inc., a Certified Aboriginal Business that provides holistic education and training rooted in Indigenous pedagogy and western learning methodologies.

https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/funding-two-new-micro-credentialing-programs-awarded-queen-s

MOOC platforms shut off access to Russian content - Natalie Schwartz, Higher Ed Dive

Coursera and edX, whose MOOC platforms collectively serve some 140 million users, are each suspending content from their Russian university and industry partners on humanitarian grounds following the country's invasion of Ukraine.  Both companies are also stepping up their support for Ukraine by allowing the country's higher education institutions to freely access services that let colleges incorporate the MOOC platforms' content into their classes, edX and Coursera announced last week.  Udemy, another prominent MOOC platform, also said it is not pursuing any new enterprise relationships in the Russia and Belarus regions. 

https://www.highereddive.com/news/mooc-platforms-shut-off-access-to-russian-content/620064/

Athabasca University Partners to Launch Canada’s First AI Ethics Microcredentials - Eminetra Canada

PowerED, an entrepreneurial unit at Athabasca University, and Ethically Aligned AI, a social company founded to help businesses develop responsible AI, have launched Canada’s first microcredentials in AI ethics.  Ethics of Artificial Intelligence Micro Credentials Is a four-course program that provides the basic skills needed to address issues related to the ethical development of AI systems.

https://eminetracanada.com/athabasca-university-partners-to-launch-canadas-first-ai-ethics-microcredentials/424529/

Trying to give students in low-wage majors some extra skills they can cash in on - OLIVIA SANCHEZ, Hechinger Report

The University of Texas System is piloting a program to insert workplace skills valued by employers into the four-year curriculum, in an effort to boost earnings for alumni of the majors that typically make the lowest salaries.  These microcredentials might range from digital skills to data analysis to business skills such as project management, said Lydia Riley, the UT system’s director of academic affairs. The eight colleges will decide in a few more weeks, she said, and the credentials should be available to students next fall.

https://hechingerreport.org/trying-to-give-students-in-low-wage-majors-some-extra-skills-they-can-cash-in-on/

The most popular programming languages and where to learn them - Larry Dignan, ZDnet

The new normal of work will bring a lot of changes, but one enduring theme is going to be upskilling and learning new programming language tricks. Here's a look at the top programming languages based on a sampling of surveys from RedMonk, Tiobe, and SlashData and places where you can hone skills or acquire them new. Most of these courses are available for free or with a subscription. Some may be available via corporate programs from your employer.

https://www.zdnet.com/education/computers-tech/best-programming-language/

Google launching job training, placement initiative through $100M career certificates fund - Brooke Singman, FOXBusiness

Google is launching an initiative that it says will help more than 20,000 Americans with job training and placement through its $100 million Google Career Certificates Fund. Google CEO Sundar Pichai and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced Thursday the launch of a $100 million Google Career Certificates Fund, which aims to drive $1 billion in aggregate wage gains. Google says the program will "equip people with job-ready skills in fields like Data Analytics, IT Support, Project Management, and UX Design with 3-6 months — with no degree or experience required."

https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/google-job-training-placement-initiative-career-certificates-fund

A Growing Digital Skills Crisis: A Majority of the Workforce Feels Unprepared - IBL News

A survey conducted by Salesforce last month based on 23,000+ workers across 19 countries reveals a growing digital skills crisis. The pandemic has accelerated this gap, addressing the need for a digital transformation. In addition, it has given businesses a unique opportunity to rethink how they connect with their employees, customers, and communities. In the research, a total of 76% of global workers say that they feel unequipped and unprepared to operate in a digital-first world. However, only 28% of them are actively seeking skills training, according to Salesforce’s 2022 Global Digital Skills Index survey.

https://iblnews.org/a-growing-digital-skills-crisis-a-majority-of-the-workforce-feels-unprepared/

NFTs in education: Heading to the top of the class? - Tim Sandle, Digital Journal

Is this a fad or is there a future for NFTs in the education space? Can something like an NFT add value to teachers and students? One company branching out into new territory is Preply (an Online Learning Platform). The company is using NFTs in the education space, as an Edtech innovation. Pepperdine's Beau Brennan  calls these “academic tokens” and insists they do not have a direct monetary value. Instead, they prove the student has passed the course and contain unique details about how well the student did and information about the class and syllabus. An alternative option is with issuing NFTs as credentials. For example, Duke University has provided educational credentials as NFTs for its Master of Engineering in Financial Technology degree.

https://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-science/nfts-in-education-heading-to-the-top-of-the-class/article#ixzz7KJYhG1nF

Governor Hochul Announces Expansion of SUNY Microcredentials for In-Demand Job Fields - Office of NY Governor Hochul

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the expansion of fast and flexible learning options with more than 400 microcredentials across 31 SUNY campuses to help everyone from current students to working professionals gain skills, knowledge, and experience that employers are looking for. Microcredentials are designed to be completed in a shorter timeframe than a college degree, taking one or two semesters, not years, to complete, and providing immediate evidence of skills mastered via a college transcript or digital badge.

https://www.suny.edu/suny-news/press-releases/2-22/2-15-22/microcredentials.html

UMSL joining with St. Louis Fed to offer graduate certificate program in personal finance for educators

 The University of Missouri–St. Louis is joining with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis to offer secondary school teachers a graduate certificate in personal finance aimed at helping to improve the quality of personal finance instruction throughout Missouri. The program requires 12 hours of in-person and online graduate credit coursework over one year. Instruction begins with an in-person seminar June 6-10 at the St. Louis Fed’s downtown office and continues online throughout the academic year starting in September.

https://blogs.umsl.edu/news/2022/02/14/certificate-program-personal-finance-education/

6 companies offering free tuition to employees, from Dollywood to Starbucks - Morgan Smith, CNBC

Just last week Herschend Enterprises, which oversees Dollywood, Dolly Parton’s theme park and resort, announced that they will cover the full cost of tuition, fees and books for employees who want to further their education starting Feb. 24. The initiative, called GROW U, covers about 11,000 employees across Herschend’s 25 U.S. attractions including the Harlem Globetrotters, New Jersey’s Adventure Aquarium and Kentucky Kingdom. All seasonal, part-time and full-time employees are eligible to enroll in the program starting on their first day at work. Workers can choose between different diploma, degree and certificate programs in a wide range of subjects such as business administration and leadership, finance, marketing, technology and culinary studies. Courses are listed through Guild Education, an online platform that Fortune 100 companies such as Walmart and Disney have partnered with to design their own education benefit programs. 

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/15/dolly-partons-dollywood-is-the-latest-company-to-offer-free-tuition.html

Micro-credentials: The new face of continuing education - Charline Osborne, the Fulcrum

Though the term “micro-credential” is relatively new, the concept of pursuing additional education to “skill up” after graduation will be familiar to most. Micro-credentials formalize continuous learning to help professionals market their skills and meet changing industry needs. Some micro-credentials are offered through post-secondary institutions, while others are awarded by private companies like Cisco, Amazon, and IBM. They differ from a traditional degree or certificate because they are much shorter and more specialized. The work typically ranges between six hours to a couple of weeks, though some micro-credentials may take months to complete. The focus is usually on quickly acquiring practical skills directly related to a specific job. These credentials are usually offered virtually and can be completed at a student’s own pace, though some institutions offer micro-credentials on campus.

https://thefulcrum.ca/features/micro-credentials-the-new-face-of-continuing-education/