Broadly speaking, “noncredit” programs fall into three major categories: adult basic education, workforce development and personal enrichment. ABE refers to programs like adult literacy or entry-level ESL. They’re meant to address illiteracy or to help recent immigrants learn or improve their English. Workforce development programs are meant to help prepare people for specific types of jobs. Sometimes they substitute for traditional degrees, although they’re also popular among career changers and among folks who need continuing education to remain current in their fields. The final category refers to courses that people take just for personal interest.
Tuesday, January 3, 2023
Monday, January 2, 2023
Microcredentials: Why Industry Is in the Driver’s Seat - Vis Naidoo, Cheryl Kinzel, & Natasja Saranchuk; Evolllution
Microcredentials are rooted in the digital badge movement that first gained traction to support adult learning in the workforce. One of the earliest players was a group called Open Badges, created by Mozilla Foundation in 2013 with funding from the MacArthur Foundation. This focus can be traced back to the “use of symbols in ancient times to reflect different meanings (and) has evolved into modern-day usage of digital badges and microcredentials to indicate achievements, knowledge, skills, and competencies.”[1]
Sunday, January 1, 2023
Seek and ye shall find (some) micro-credentials - Campus Morning Mail, Australia
The Commonwealth-funded MicroCred Seeker was built and will be run by the NSW Universities Admission Centre. There are MCs from just ten universities and five private providers, but a bunch more of institutions are listed, suggesting content from them is imminent. However the big corporates who provide training to all comers aren’t in sight – Google for example, which offers courses via Coursera. Perhaps they don’t fit a definition of MC or are in the queue. TEQSA-registered providers are getting first go, with others, “able to be onboarded in future phases.”
Saturday, December 31, 2022
Retrain, reskill returning OFWs; ensure their stay — Argyll Cyrus Geducos, Manila Bulletin
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. raised the need to “retrain” and “reskill” overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who wish to come back to the country for good as he pointed out that “micro-credentials” will make workers adaptable and diversely skilled. Marcos said this in a meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) members, where they tackled workers’ skills development and learning recovery programs. According to Marcos, micro-credentials are vital for Filipino workers to remain competitive in the workforce.
Friday, December 30, 2022
Five Thoughts on the Next Five Years: Where Higher Ed is Headed - Vickie Cook, Evolllution
While the most impactful trends will vary somewhat among institution types, this article will review five trends that will impact institutions across the United States in the next few years.... A fourth trend that continues to grow is Continuing Education and alternative credentials. Strategic thinking about the future must include a fortified Continuing Education effort with strong initiatives in building alternative credentials that help students incrementally gain and skills develop their employability. Practicing sound CE principals to deliver customized courses allows for professional skill development to meet the private employment sector’s needs.
Thursday, December 29, 2022
The Micro-Credentials Movement Has Arrived - Eric Lloyd, Chief Executive
When companies as widely recognized and well established as Boeing, Walmart, and IBM start moving in a similar direction on something, it’s safe to say the idea has legs. In this case, companies are looking towards skills-based hiring in tandem with degree-based hiring. The idea here is for companies to remove “must-have” barriers around hiring—such as “must have an MBA” or “must have a four-year degree”—in favor of hiring for the skills they need in a specific candidate. According to an oft-cited piece of research, hiring for skills is five times more predictive of job performance and, ultimately, results in a better-prepared workforce.
Wednesday, December 28, 2022
Arkansas college offers trucking operations 'micro-credential' program - Truckers News Staff (TN)
A new opportunity to learn about how trucking companies operate is available at an Arkansas college. Focus EduSolutions, in partnership with Arkansas Tech University, announces the launch of a program awarding micro-credentials in Trucking Operations. The program was designed by industry experts for those looking to start a new profession or further their careers. The micro-credentials will teach the basics and fundamentals of how to be successful in trucking.
Tuesday, December 27, 2022
Warren Buffett's recent life advice to deal with the stresses of inflation gives you full control of the outcome.- MARCEL SCHWANTES, INC.
Years ago, he counseled that investing in oneself and improving one's own talent "is the best thing you can do." That's why sharpening your skills and becoming consistently good at something is one of the strongest protections against inflation. "Whatever abilities you have can't be taken away from you. They can't actually be inflated away from you," he said. "The best investment by far is anything that develops yourself, and it's not taxed at all." To heed Buffett's advice about being exceptionally good at something, we need to know what exactly we should be good at.
Monday, December 26, 2022
Increasing Access to Upskilling and Professional Development - Cecilia Buchanan, Fierce Education
Promoting lifelong learning and facilitating success beyond the classroom is a core mission that is shared among many industries including higher education institutions, public libraries, and various government agencies. With the shared goal of connecting individuals to the right learning path for their individual needs, industries across the board can work together to develop the workforce and increase economic growth.
Sunday, December 25, 2022
Department of Education New Program to Help Students Find Jobs - Cecilia Buchanan, Fierce Education
The U.S. Department of Education recently announced a new initiative that aims to bridge the gap between education and quality jobs. The new plan from the Biden-Harris Administration, Raise the Bar: Unlock Career Success, supports career-connected learning to increase job pathways for students. Supported by the Departments of Commerce and Labor, the announcement of Raise the Bar: Unlock Career Success pledges to increase and expand access to quality training programs to better prepare students in entering high-demand industries.
Saturday, December 24, 2022
Embracing Credential Transparency to Connect Education with Work - Teresa Lubbers and Chris Lowery, Fierce Education
In a world where there are nearly one million credentials of all types offered by the nation’s colleges, universities, training programs, boot camps and other education, it’s not always clear where a path from education to work starts or ends. That needs to change — and it’s currently underway. In 2017, Indiana became the first state to sign on with Credential Engine, a national nonprofit that envisions credential transparency and open data as tools to unlock the learn-and-earn ecosystem nationwide and help every learner make more informed decisions about the credentials they might pursue.
Friday, December 23, 2022
How many unique education credentials exist? More than 1M, according to a new count. - Rick Seltzer, Higher Ed Dive
Almost 1.1 million unique educational credentials exist in the U.S., according to a new tally mapping a sprawling web of certificates, badges, licenses, diplomas and the like — as well as who offers them. The count comes in a report released by the nonprofit Credential Engine, which is trying to improve the available information about learning and career pathways. The report sorted its estimated count of credentials into four buckets:
350,412 from postsecondary institutions awarding degrees and certificates, down 9,301 from its 2021 tally.
13,014 from MOOC providers awarding course completion certificates, microcredentials and online degrees from foreign universities, up by 3,624.
656,753 from nonacademic providers and 56,179 from secondary schools.
Thursday, December 22, 2022
Open the Title IV Door The federal financial aid system is locking students out of more affordable learning options - Burck Smith, Inside Higher Ed
Ironically, by restricting applicability to accredited colleges, Title IV requires the poorest students to enroll in riskier, higher-priced postsecondary options and not the increasing number of low-cost alternatives, many of which are offered by learning providers other than traditional, accredited postsecondary institutions. Today, there are more than 550,000 postsecondary credentials that are outside the Title IV system, including certificates, badges, licenses and certifications. These range in length, price, value and meaning, but many have gone through evaluations such as American Council on Education Learning Evaluations to determine how many college credits they equate to. Many also cost a fraction of the amount of the equivalent college programs and can be completed much more quickly than a traditional degree program or at a flexible pace.
Wednesday, December 21, 2022
UMaine receives award from Governor’s Energy Office to launch new programs and courses on offshore wind - University of Maine
University of Maine faculty will help meet the workforce demand of the offshore wind industry by offering students more training for future careers with new courses, micro-credentials and an undergraduate concentration in offshore wind energy, made possible with a $266,669 award from the Governor’s Energy Office’s Clean Energy Partnership program. The initiative, OffshoreWind4Maine, led by Amrit Verma, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, will offer hands-on curricula that will give high school and UMaine students and working professionals knowledge and skills in this growing industry.
Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Micro-credentials: Certifying the future of higher education in the UK - Sidharth Oberoi, FE News
According to the House of Lords Youth Unemployment Committee report, one of those crucial challenges is the skills gaps and shortages in existing and emerging sectors which is damaging productivity. A solution to this challenge for students, educators and employers alike is micro-credentials, as they become more accessible with the generalisation of virtual learning environments. Micro-credentials are mini-digital certifications that can be used to validate skills in a specific area. The crucial difference between a traditional degree and micro-credentials is that credentials allow students to take courses that are modular, flexible and narrower in focus than a degree while still demonstrating students have up-to-date knowledge.
Monday, December 19, 2022
Modularization: The Mighty Credential Makes Its Appearance! - Linda Dale Bloomberg, TC Press
The increasing need for reskilling and upskilling caused by automation, the knowledge explosion, and the pandemic will tilt the balance toward more educational programs that are closely aligned with the labor market and provide certificates, micro-credentials, and badges — not just degrees (Levine & Pelt, 2021). This points to the viability of shorter, more specifically targeted learning pathways toward achieving economic productivity. As I write in my book Designing and Delivering Effective Online Instruction: How to Engage Adult Learners, “With the ongoing pandemic and widespread closures and reorganization, there has been a significant and continuing need for reskilling and upskilling as a result of disruptive changes in the job market (McKinsey, 2020; World Economic Forum 2020, 2021).”
Sunday, December 18, 2022
The PED is asking for feedback on its new teacher advancement system - ESTEBAN CANDELARIA, abq Journal
Educators have been abuzz with talk about their new advancement system. So the state Public Education Department’s putting it to the test early next year with a public hearing that will propose several rule changes to actually implement the system, known as micro-credentials, into the department’s rulebook. The Jan. 3 meeting on the rules, interim Director of Educator Quality and Ethics Layla Dehaiman said, will be used to gather public feedback about the new system.
Saturday, December 17, 2022
Lessons Learned From Launching a Micro-Credential Program - Anissa Lokey-Vega & Raven Malliett, Evolllution
Developing an entirely new form of programming, like micro-credentials, requires collaboration between departments, faculty, senior leadership and even the surrounding community. The work that goes into making these programs accessible and differentiating them from the rest of the university through badges or certificates can help more students return to work with new skills quickly.
Friday, December 16, 2022
Alberta funding new micro-credential program at Burman University in Lacombe - Red Deer Advocate
The provincial government is funding five new micro-credential programs, including one at a post-secondary institution in central Alberta. Earlier this fall, Alberta’s government invested $8 million over two years to create 69 new micro-credentials programs through the Alberta at Work initiative. Additional funding of more than $270,000 will help create five new programs that support key sectors, including energy, technology, software development and finance.
Thursday, December 15, 2022
Micro-credentials: Certifying the future of higher education in the UK - Sidharth Oberoi, FE News
COVID-19’s effect on education has created a paradigm shift for higher education while shining a light on challenges the sector was already facing. The pandemic highlighted unequal opportunities and showcased the gap between education taught at universities and the skills needed to succeed in a digital workforce. Currently, solutions are needed that can rapidly scale and resolve the challenges facing students today brought forth by the pandemic. According to the House of Lords Youth Unemployment Committee report, one of those crucial challenges is the skills gaps and shortages in existing and emerging sectors which is damaging productivity. A solution to this challenge for students, educators and employers alike is micro-credentials, as they become more accessible with the generalisation of virtual learning environments.
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Generation Z turn to online learning to sharpen their skills - Zydrune Budnike, AeroTime Hub
The transition from traditional to virtual and hybrid workplace environments has proven to be irreversible. Reports by Google data on Generation Z behavior indicate that a significant majority of this population has become accustomed to online-based learning through visually rich, technology-based, and socially interactive platforms. Many Generation Z learners have expressed a high preference for virtual and blended learning over traditional programmes that usually require them to enroll and attend physical classrooms to attain certain qualifications.
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