global
Over the last decade, the higher education sector globally has seen a much greater focus on employability and skills development – starting with a challenging global recession and continuing through many years of sustained economic expansion. According to recent global CEO surveysthe development and acquisition of human capital has risen to the top of corporate agendas.
There are many signs that the “second machine ageand the age of digital transformation in which we live increasingly drives the demand for continuous retraining and lifelong learning.
At Northeastern University's Center for the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy in the United States, we recently did a survey from 750 recruiting leaders in the United States – across all sectors and organizational sizes. One of the key findings was that the majority – 64% – of executives felt that the need for continuous lifelong learning will require more credentials from job seekers and higher levels of education in the future.
This article is part of a series about Transformational Leadership posted by University World News in cooperation with Mastercard Foundation. University World News is solely responsible for editorial content.Micro-credentials are sprouting up
The growing need for continuous learning is also reflected in the explosion of new educational credential offerings in recent years – ranging from online degrees and coding bootcamps, to technology certificates, digital badges, nanodegrees and MicroMasters.
These career-oriented educational offerings have growing momentum – but even though millions of micro-credentials are being issued, it's still very early in the development of a new market. In our recent US survey, only 30%-40% of hiring leaders had ever encountered a specific microcredential on a resume, and just 16% reported hiring someone who possessed it.
Data suggests that so far, microcredentials are largely functioning in the labor market as complements to traditional degrees, rather than substitutes for degrees – demonstrating advanced skill development. qualifying people for promotions; and facilitating career change.
At the same time, these micro-credentials still hold great promise as entry-level job qualifications, especially in technically oriented occupations.
Real world learning and experience
The growing interest in career-focused microcredential programs underscores a more fundamental truth—that in the job qualification process, education and experience are intertwined and often difficult to disentangle.
Notably, one of the hallmarks of many microcredential programs – and a trend in higher education more generally – is the incorporation of capstone projects and work-based or experiential learning opportunities, as well as employer endorsement of curricula.
For example, in many MOOCs (massive open online courses) and online education certificate programs, computer science students can use real employer data and program a solution to a real employer challenge. When evaluating human capital, the ideal combination for employers is education and evidence that they are able to perform a specific role.
Indeed, our survey of US recruiting leaders found that employers' top priority recommendation for colleges and universities was to “include real-world projects and engagement with employers and the world of work” in their programs – ranked first place by a quarter of respondents.
This was closely followed by the provision of academic credit for work experience and learning, as well as more validation of industry-based curricula. Employers are making a clear call to action for universities to integrate their offerings more closely into the fabric of the world of work.
This imperative is manifested in the growing interest in work-based learning worldwide – as governments, private businesses and universities explore new solutions for human capital development.
One particular model of work-based learning that has received particular attention is apprenticeship. In the US, apprenticeships have been the focus a number of federal government policies and initiatives and a high-profile presidential commission. In the UK, there is still evolution Apprenticeship Contribution – a tax program with a specific objective to develop human capital.
In addition, a number of large global technology companies such as IBM and Amazon next-generation digital apprenticeship programs have been launched.
Integrate micro-credentials and micro-practices
Work-based learning models such as apprenticeships and internships can be high-value ways of providing education, training and experience to full-time students and transition workers. But in an economy that demands continuous lifelong learning, it's important to think of these models as part of a broader continuum that can and should also serve the growing number of working adults, online and part-time students.
For example, in Northeastern Universitywe've expanded beyond our 110-year-old cooperative education program roots to incorporate short, real-world employer projects into our lifelong learner programs – in an effort called the Experiential Network (XN).
In just the last few years, nearly 10,000 students have completed projects for 2,000 active partners such as Pfizer, General Electric, Raytheon and Costco.
Outside our institution, start-up companies such as e.g Parker Dewey and Ripen create platforms that connect students and universities in “micro-internships” with employers. Other start-ups like Practera – rooted in the Australian university sector – develop experiential learning software that provides teachers with the tools to integrate real-world employment into their courses.
A new ecosystem of experiential learning providers and technology companies is beginning to grow and mature to meet the growing demand from students, universities and employers. Micro-credentials – and micro-work experiences – are an offering in this much larger market.
To think of microcredential offerings only as shorter online education programs would miss the broader, more important trends they exemplify.
First, the growth of microcredentials is evidence of the emergence of more continuous and less episodic postsecondary learning. Second, microcredentials emphasize an educational curriculum that is much more industry-aligned and competency-focused. Finally, they demonstrate that we are entering an era of much greater overlap and integration between education and experience.
Sean Gallagher is executive director of Northeastern University Center for the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy and its author The future of university credentials.
