Forget street cred.
You know what’s really slayin’ amongst Gen Zs?
Micro-cred…entials.
I’ll see myself out.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the term, micro-credentials are (you guessed it) small courses people can undertake in specific areas of study.
As Simon Leonard elaborated for The Conversation, micro-credentials “focus on updating or gaining new skills in a short time frame, typically ranging from a few weeks to a semester of study,” and viewed “as a way to meet industry and employee needs quickly and address critical skills gaps.”
Put simply, micro-credentials are essentially designed to teach, upskill or reskill both students and professionals with targeted, job-relevant skills in short timeframes.
Now, micro-credentials are nothing new.
They’ve actually been available in vocational circles for quite some time, but they’re only just starting to be offered and promoted by universities and other leading tertiary institutions.
In fact, with pretty much every industry encouraging lifelong learning the Universities Accord panel predicted micro-credentials are likely to be increasingly in demand.
Lucky for Gen Zs, who are entering the job market en masse, the federal government has just dramatically incentivised obtaining micro-credentials to help meet the constantly evolving needs of employers and industries.
The $18.5 million Microcredentials Pilot in Higher Education program is designed to assist higher education providers to design and deliver micro-credentials in fields of national priority in partnership with industry.
The first lot of courses include accommodation & food services; administrative & support services; agriculture, forestry and fishing; arts and recreation services; construction; education & training; financial and insurance services; mining; health care and social assistance; retail trade and more.
So what does your child need to do in order to enrol in one of the micro-credential courses to help get their career on track?
First off, Leonard recommends encouraging your child to self-reflect on what they want to get out of a micro-credential course by asking themselves the following questions:
- What do you want to get out of further education?
- What specific skill is on offer?
- Am I suited to this type of study?
- How will I use this in my (prospective) job or profession?
Then, have your child check out MicroCred Seeker’s course comparison to check out the 425 micro-credential courses from 56 registered providers.
