Micro-credentials, or short courses that equip employees with vital new skills, can be a useful addition to learning and development strategies. Caoimhe Carlos explains how to integrate them into the business.
The economic downturn and surge in new workplace technologies are exacerbating an already significant skills gap within organisations. Businesses realise that effective learning and development can help them compete in this market.
Micro-credentialing – or the acquisition of short, skills-based certifications – is arguably one of the most instrumental tools businesses can use to upskill employees quickly and get them up to speed with new technologies.
Personnel Today spoke to Caoimhe Carlos, VP of global customer success at Udemy, an online learning specialist, about this fast-moving environment and how micro-credentialing can help.
What impact is the economic uncertainty having on learning and development?
We are witnessing a mixed response amongst business leaders to the role of L&D during the current downturn. Given the macroeconomic headwinds, many leaders are reducing the number of vendors they use, as well as lowering investment in several programmes including L&D.
But some of the most forward-thinking leaders are actually using L&D as a tool to navigate current uncertainty.
For companies to thrive in this environment, they need to emphasise the value of learning by offering employees ongoing and flexible learning opportunities to develop their skills – in technical areas, role-specific business competencies and the professional power skills that create resilient employees and leaders.
The economic situation is creating skills gaps due to redundancies and hiring freezes, and L&D can help businesses tackle those gaps.
Moreover, at a time where technologies like ChatGPT are becoming more mainstream, and companies are experimenting with new structures such as four-day work weeks, L&D can help companies optimise efficiency and productivity.
What role can micro-credentials play in this?
Micro-credentialing or industry certifications will be one of the most instrumental tools used by businesses to accelerate upskilling and support the adoption of new technologies.
The biggest challenges leaders have in L&D is incentivising employees to develop their skills and making programmes personalised and accessible for each employee.
Micro-credentialing tackles this, with the setup of short, stackable courses and certifications, giving employees a clear direction in their learning and making it more digestible and rewarding.
Micro-credentials are essentially mini qualifications, so if a business has a certain skills gap or requirement they wish to address, they can use micro-credentialing to map employees’ career paths and quantify skills.
It also helps businesses to be agile by rolling out new training courses based on emerging skills without interrupting existing workflows.
Udemy’s own Workplace Learning Index for the first quarter of this year highlighted a growing demand for such industry certifications, particularly related to new technologies in data, Python programming and cybersecurity spiking in consumption.
Courses on cloud data management (specifically Databricks’ data engineer associate certification) were up 320% and number four on the list of in-demand skills globally. L&D teams need to ensure vendors are on top of such trends so they can support learners to prepare for these certification exams.
How can businesses begin to leverage micro-credentials?
The success of a micro-credentialing programme relies on business leaders having a detailed understanding of the skills available within the organisation and successfully identifying which skills gaps need to be addressed.
Therefore, the first step is conducting internal employee research and building a comprehensive skills dataset and portfolio for the business.
Do you have any examples of areas where micro-credentials work well?
In response to the recent boom in interest in AI, EY launched its EY Badges Programme to incentivise employees to learn “hot” skills in this area, as well as data analytics and robotics. Leaders must start by identifying the skill sets that they’d like to prioritise for development which align with company goals.
How else can businesses enhance their L&D programmes?
L&D can be a vital tool for businesses during this period of economic and social uncertainty, and there are a number of approaches that companies can take to enhance their learning programmes.
One approach is to create a culture of feedback and continuous learning within the organisation. EY has also launched a new global model for career development called LEAD, which uses technology and innovative digital platforms to encourage real-time feedback across EY’s workforce to help employees to develop their skills.
Another important strategy is to develop the skills of managers in coaching employees.
Often, L&D programmes are hindered by a lack of advocacy and interest from senior leaders – learning should be a continuous process for employees, led by the business and supported by managers.
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