Communications of the ACM
Could Micro-Credentials Compete With Traditional College Degrees?
Credit: BBC
As the cost of a university education continues to balloon, many wonder whether the return on the investment is worth it and if there might be alternative paths to job success.
Enter micro-credentials. While higher education and human resources experts all have slightly different interpretations of what they are, many agree that the concept has emerged in response to the skills gap caused by new technologies. Essentially, micro-credentials are bite-sized chunks of education, whether an online course, bootcamp certificate, or apprenticeship from a traditional university, specialty provider, or online learning platform like Coursera, EdX, or Udacity.
Many individuals already use micro-credentials to broaden their skillsets. Still, some have suggested that in the future, a prospective employee might be able to 'stack' these credentials together in place of a university degree. The idea is that it might provide a more targeted path into employment.
Employers in the United States are increasingly looking beyond college graduates, says Shawn Thorne, partner at global talent management firm True. Clients have been asking him to target candidates from non-traditional backgrounds. "I think that these micro-credentials are a piece that companies use in order to advance their candidate pool," he says.
From BBC
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