A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.”
Perhaps, this kind of bullish optimism drives organizations to hunt talent. However, it experiences frustration when filling up skill gaps becomes a herculean task with abundant aspiring candidates available but just a few of these possessing real talent.
The solution could be in implementing a micro-credential learning culture. Micro-credentials are niche, bite-size qualifications demonstrating an employee’s skill or knowledge or experience in a specific area. They can reap long-term benefits for organizations and employees who are drawn into a culture of continuous learning and the acquisition of digital badge & micro-credentials.
While enabling organizations to cost-effectively and easily deploy expertise, as and when markets demand change, their micro and flexible qualities are well-suited to a generation on the go.
Digital Badging and Micro-credentials: Benefits
Micro-credentials can impart skills or knowledge or experience to an employee in a specific area as demanded by his current role, qualifying him in the subject.
Micro-credentials, which can be completed in days or weeks, are bite-sized and easier to acquire than traditional qualifications like degrees and can cover a wide area of expertise like digital marketing or a specific area like how to improve efficiency at work. They also offer a more personalized and on-demand experience – suited to a fast-food and social media mentality-where employees acquire a skill, apply it to their jobs, acquire the course completion certificate, and are happy to flaunt one more achievement under their belt.
Micro-credentials can be designed to be movable and flexible. They are inexpensive too – compared to a company’s qualification programs via university tie-ups. They are perfect for a changing marketplace in which demands for new skills keep arising and one has to face competition and build muscle in these areas to remain relevant. And, as they are stackable, similar to laying one brick over another, in an attempt to construct something concrete – they are less daunting than a traditional degree.
How Micro-credentials help:
Micro-credentials help firms immediately fill up their gap in skills and attract ambitious talent as they facilitate a learning and growth culture.
Tips
Companies must build as much autonomy into their micro-credentials as possible.
Companies must collaborate with employees to develop micro-credentials so that they address individual career aspirations as well as their need to build skills.
Companies can partner with universities for micro-credentials to upskill and reskill staff in identified areas. Universities offer high-quality courses, delivered by subject experts. Via this partnership companies get access to a talent pipeline of interns and new hires, while employees acquire credentials from reputed institutions.
On course completion, organizations and universities must give away blockchain-powered digital certificates, where every transaction by a student/employee is independently verified by a peer-to-peer computer network, time-stamped, and added to a growing chain of data. This will prevent any fraud and misuse.
Micro certifications with their multiple benefits can be an organization’s best ally. It can bridge the gap in skill availability and infuse a learning culture in the organization. It can keep it agile to add instant value to the customer by training employees on the latest skills.
And, when this happens, micro assumes macro importance in retaining and adding new customers and a current and talented workforce.
