Monday, February 13, 2023

Tennessee launches online certificate program - John Reitman, Turfnet

For those interested in pursuing a potential career in turfgrass management, or experienced industry professionals seeking supplemental education, the University of Tennessee is launching the UT Certified Lawn Care Professional Program.Despite its name, this introductory-level online program is designed for anyone interested in golf turf, sports turf and lawncare management. It is targeted toward everyone from industry newcomers to experienced turfgrass professionals seeking supplemental education.

https://www.turfnet.com/news.html/tennessee-launches-online-certificate-program-r1800/

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Students turning to micro-credentials to boost education and land jobs - Dominic Bernard, HR Magazine

Students and graduates are turning to online skills certifications to boost their CVs and win jobs they might not otherwise be qualified for, according to research published today (1 February). While half (50%) of students and graduates find it hard to understand what employers are looking for from candidates, nearly all (87%) said entry-level skills qualifications from large tech companies like Google and Meta would help them land a job in 2023. The research, from skills platform Coursera, also revealed 80% of UK employers look beyond degrees when hiring graduates to find job-relevant skills. More than three quarters (71%) said a professional certificate would influence their decision to hire a candidate.

Saturday, February 11, 2023

Solvent Partners With Udacity To Offer Technology Job Training and Career Readiness To System Impacted Individuals

Today, Solvent announced its partnership with Udacity in an effort to provide access to  technology job training and career readiness for System Impacted individuals, via Udacity’s nanodegree programs and scholarships. This latest partnership is another step in Solvent’s mission to empower socioeconomically disadvantaged and formerly incarcerated individuals with tools, products, and services for financial empowerment and wealth building.

https://ventsmagazine.com/2023/02/02/solvent-partners-with-udacity-to-offer-technology-job-training-and-career-readiness-to-system-impacted-individuals/

Friday, February 10, 2023

24 High-Paying Certification Jobs That Pay Well in 2023 - Simplilearn

Certification helps individuals stand out from the crowd. For instance, if you have an IT certification that aligns with your current job, you may be paid more than a regular employee. Certifications work as a qualifier for the job role. Moreover, it does help to get better promotions, which directly increments the salary.  Certifications upgrade skills and continually build them. This, in return, enhances the practical experience, which helps in high pay. By getting certifications, there are chances to grow in the career sphere. The higher the professional training certification, the higher the salary one can expect as it gives a professional skill set to demonstrate the knowledge. 

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Lakewood University Prepares Students for Exciting Career Opportunities in the Legal Fraternity

Lakewood University offers undergraduate degrees and certifications related to different branches of the legal sector.  They offer undergraduate certifications for law office management, legal assistants, legal secretaries, and legal document preparers while also offering an associate’s degree and bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies. Each program is tailored to a niche within the legal sector, providing recipients with relevant skills for each role. The certifications are a great way to learn legal research skills, legal language, and an understanding of various legal processes, including finances and paperwork. Many certifications complement one another and can prepare students for multiple job opportunities.

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

EdTech: What’s needed to set students and educators up for success in 2023 - Daniel Hill, FE News

Digital learning technologies such as virtual learning environments have opened new avenues for accessible and immersive schooling. Since the pandemic, vernacular learning, re-skilling, up-skilling, and micro-credentials are some trends that have become popular and are only expected to grow in the coming year. However, what else is in store for education in 2023?

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

The Importance of Upskilling Leaders and Managers - Dan Marzullo, Zenefits

In today’s rapidly changing world, leaders and managers should stay ahead of the curve. Keeping skills up to date is essential to stay relevant in this technological age. The emergence of new technologies and stiff recruiting competition will leave old habits and processes in the dust. With the nature of the economy today, people are looking to their employers for guidance now more than ever. Employees value skilled problem-solving and interpersonal skills from their managers. Insufficient management can cost a business billions. Therefore, it’s crucial that they stay sharp and knowledgeable about updates and new skills.

https://www.zenefits.com/workest/the-importance-of-upskilling-leaders-and-managers/

Monday, February 6, 2023

The benefits of a well-calibrated micro-learning ecosystem - Libing Wang, University World News

One way to increase relevance is to shorten and downsize learning programmes. Unbundling qualification programmes into small learning units can serve this purpose if they are separately recognised through credits that can either stand alone as micro-credentials or are stackable for full qualifications.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20230125071706463

Sunday, February 5, 2023

Show off students’ employability with e-portfolios - Lourdes Guàrdia , Marcelo Maina; Times Higher Education

E-portfolios are collections of work in an electronic format that showcase a student’s learning achievements over time. They are a useful tool in providing support for transversal and evidence-based assessment of students’ achievements. Skills-focused e-portfolios enable students to link their learning experiences with real-world practice, demonstrate their capacities through selected evidence and build reflective metacognition. Moreover, new developments can help connect e-portfolios and microcredentials to offer flexible routes to certification and extended recognition, increasing the graduate profile’s visibility.

Saturday, February 4, 2023

IIE Refugee EdTech Program – edX MicroMasters®

IIE’s Refugee EdTech Program, is designed to help displaced and refugee students pursue advanced education online, from anywhere in the world, without the need to travel to a university campus. The scholarship is administered as part of IIE’s Student Emergency Initiatives. IIE is currently accepting applications for the 2023 IIE Refugee EdTech Program – edX MicroMasters. Please review all sections of this website before applying. The deadline is February 14, 2023 at 5 p.m. eastern standard time. 

Friday, February 3, 2023

Micro-credentials help Sarnia-area long-term care homes looking for staff - Paul Morden, Sarnia Observer

Sandy Vascotto, director of Lambton College’s Innovation Institute, spoke about the success of micro-credential training offered through the college during a job fair held Wednesday afternoon at Sarnia’s Dante Club to encourage people to explore careers in long-term care. Vascotto said the career exploration event was organized by a local long-term care staffing co-operative.  “What we’re trying to do is bring all the long-term care homes together under one organization to basically reflect as a team the challenges of staffing in the industry,” he said. One of its initiatives was creating micro-credential training through the college for human resources orientation for workers starting jobs at local homes.

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Micro-credentials guarantee quality of more flexible education - Mirage

WUR is participating in a national pilot aimed at offering accreditation-worthy education for professionals, given by colleges and universities. A micro-credential meets the needs of people who want to develop further during their careers. It is awarded after completing a short programme, such as a Master’s course or a minor, with a study load of up to 840 hours, or 30 EC. Those courses no longer have to be part of a full degree programme but will get their own award this way.

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

7 'Wicked Problems' Facing Higher Education and Solutions to Address Them in 2023 - Kate Lucariello, Campus Technology

In terms of higher education, WGU Labs believes institutions are not delivering what students need and expect from their education, and they are "seeking career-aligned credentials elsewhere with 220 million learners using Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in 2021, and non-academic providers offering 549,712 badges, course completion certificates, licenses, certifications, and apprenticeships," according to the report. WGU Labs, quoting statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics, noted that three in five students who enroll in a four-year degree spend time, accrue debt, and don't get their degree within eight years.

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Clark State to host workforce grant information sessions - Brooke Spurlock, Springfield Sun-News

Clark State College will host a series of H-1B One Workforce Grant information sessions for students and employees to learn more about the grant and the college’s advanced manufacturing program. The college received $3,503,325 from the H-1B One Workforce Grant Program in 2021 from the U.S. Department of Labor to invest in training for key sectors of the economy, and to focus on the current workforce and training the future workforce for critical industries such as advanced manufacturing.“With this grant we focus on micro credentials that can be completed in as little as eight weeks,” said Nora Hatem, associate professor of engineering technologies.

https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/clark-state-to-host-workforce-grant-information-sessions/2TOYPYH52FADPAPXDCIUFKSVBQ/

Monday, January 30, 2023

Micro-Credentials - University of New Hampshire

UNH defines a micro-credential as evidence that reflects attainment of specific skills or competencies. Micro-credentials can be issued for formal and informal academic or professional learning experiences.  A digital badge is one example of a micro-credential. UNH seeks to equip learners with accessible pathways for skill attainment and recognition to better serve our ever-evolving NH economy.

Sunday, January 29, 2023

How technology is changing how we work – and what higher education can do about it - Jessie Hill, Halifax Daily News

Technology is disrupting how we work. The amount of work getting done online has ramped up since the pandemic, yet surveys show that most employees still feel unprepared for this new world of work, and companies are struggling to find employees with the skills needed for a future-ready workplace. With so many jobs being affected by automation and digitization, almost every job will require a different skillset in the coming years. What is the role of higher education in preparing employees for this changing world of work?

Saturday, January 28, 2023

Fast-Tracking Learning - Dennis Pierce, CC Daily

When Pima Community College in Arizona rolled out its first “Fast Track” programs in October 2021, allowing students to earn a stackable micro-credential that would lead to a high-paying job in as little as 12 weeks, Vice Chancellor of Workforce Development and Innovation Ian Roark wasn’t surprised that the programs generated a lot of interest from the community. However, he wasn’t prepared for just how popular they would be. “Within the first month, we had more than 1,000 people indicate interest,” Roark says. The college didn’t have the capacity to serve nearly that many students right away.

Friday, January 27, 2023

How industry can help fix its skill shortage problems for now and the future - Stuart Martin, FE News

With so many factors affecting industry simultaneously, something needs to change with both their recruitment and upskilling training. Industry needs ‘X’, the people out there looking for jobs have ‘Y’. This ‘Y’ may be that that they have some of the skills needed, or that they are coming from an industry which is transitioning to something different but with some transferrable skills. It is said that 99% of skills can be learned, it’s the person that matters. How can this be rectified to get X and Y together? My solution is micro-credentials.

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Sonora Quest Laboratories announces a collaboration pathway for employees - Your Valley Independent

Sonora Quest Laboratories, today announced a collaboration with Wiley to provide its 3,800 employees with access to career-connected online education programs. Sonora Quest’s education and tuition benefits will be administered through Wiley Beyond, the Wiley solution that aligns talent strategy with business strategy. The collaboration empowers the Arizona-based company’s employees to acquire new skills, pursue degrees and certifications, and advance their careers while helping the company close workforce skills gaps.

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Credential confusion? - Laura Ascione, eCampus News

More than half of available credential programs generally sit outside of traditional institutions of higher educations, according to a new analysis that reveals a maze of non-degree credentials, such as digital badges, certificates, certifications, and apprenticeships. The research comes from national nonprofit Credential Engine, which has released its fourth count of secondary and postsecondary credentials in the United States. This year’s Count of U.S. Postsecondary and Secondary Credentials report identified 1,076,358 credentials, from specialized certificates to bachelors degrees to PhDs. The report demonstrates the nation’s need to dramatically improve transparency in the credential marketplace to promote economic growth and individual mobility.

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

College leaders look to flexible learning, microcredentials to boost enrollments - Laura Ascione, eCampus News

\As college increasingly becomes financially out of reach for many students and enrollments wane, concerned administrators are implementing new programs, flexible learning formats and marketing to new demographics to help ease the decline, according to new research from Cengage, Bay View Analytics and industry partners. The Fall 2022 installment of the Digital Learning Pulse Survey found that more than 80 percent of administrators, faculty and students think inflation will pose a problem for students and 88 percent of administrators are concerned about future enrollments.