Australian Government announces new Micro-credentials Pilot

CourseLoop welcomes the Australian Government’s announcement of the Micro-credential Pilot which will see higher education providers receive support for the design and delivery of priority micro-credentials.

Under the pilot program, universities will be able to apply for funding to design micro-credentials in partnership with industry, and deliver those micro-credentials to domestic and offshore learners.

Domestically, piloted micro-credentials will be in areas of national priority – and aligned with the Jobs and Skills Australia’s Skills Priority List.

In addition to promoting domestic micro-credentials, the government will provide funding for professional associations and commercial bodies to develop globally relevant micro-credentials for offshore delivery. These micro-credentials will be delivered by both vocational education and training (VET) and higher education providers. Learners who complete a micro-credential will receive credit towards a full Australian qualification.

“We are in the midst of a global skills crisis that threatens long-term economic prosperity. The workforce simply does not have enough skilled workers to fill an ever-increasing number of skilled jobs,” CourseLoop Global Head of Client Success Rob Bild said.

“This has created a new age for higher education – one where shorter, more flexible courses, such as micro-credentials, have a pivotal role to play. Micro-credentials enable people to gain the skills they need to get them into work, be competitive, and help them succeed.”

CourseLoop recognizes the important role of micro-credentials in the higher education learning ecosystem, and has purposefully-designed a Micro-credential Management solution to help institutions deliver quality micro-credentials with speed.

Underpinned by a proven curriculum management platform, CourseLoop Micro-credential Management enables institutions to:

• Propose, capture and manage micro-credential curriculum data in a definitive source of truth.
• Assure quality with purpose-built governance and approval workflows, without compromising on speed-to-market.
• Publish the information which learners and governing bodies need, enabling recognition and portability.
• Integrate with the wider technology ecosystem, such as badging platforms and the LMS.

“CourseLoop welcomes the launch of the national pilot program, and will continue to support institutions where possible in the proposal, design and management of new micro-credentials.”