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The Irish Universities Association (IUA) has launched a new national platform for short, flexible and university-accredited courses, micreds.ie.
The website, which was developed as part of the MicroCreds project, was launched on Wednesday 12 July at an enterprise-focused event in Dublin.
The MicroCreds.ie platform is the first of its kind in Europe for short university-accredited micro-credentials.
It is a key deliverable of the ambitious five-year, €12.3m MicroCreds project.
About the platform
The platform brings together over 300 of short, flexible and accredited courses into one central place for learners and enterprise.
MicroCreds partner universities have developed micro-credentials in key skills areas including sustainability, digital transformation, data programming and more.
Making upskilling accessible
Speaking at the launch event, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD said: “It is vitally important that we make upskilling and reskilling opportunities easier and more accessible for everyone so that we can address skills shortages.
“The launch of the MicroCreds.ie platform is a prime example of the innovation that has been fostered in Irish higher education through the Human Capital Initiative Pillar 3. It will allow learners to re-enter the workforce, progress in or future-proof their careers,” said Harris.
He added: “I am also encouraging everyone during the European Year of Skills to embrace lifelong learning and learn a new skill. Sites such as MicroCreds.ie can help achieve this goal in a learner-focused way.”
Commenting on the launch of MicroCreds.ie, the IUA MicroCreds project lead Jools O’Connor said: “It is very fitting that we are launching MicroCreds.ie during the EU Year of Skills which aims to be a catalyst for the uptake of lifelong learning and upskilling opportunities.
"The core objective of MicroCreds.ie is to create a national platform for short, accredited courses that makes it easier and more accessible for people to engage with lifelong learning and upskilling opportunities in a way that better suits their personal and work commitments.”
Quality assured micro-credentials
Through the MicroCreds project, Ireland is the first European country to establish a coherent national framework for quality-assured and accredited micro-credentials.
MicroCreds project partner universities are collaborating to develop, pilot and evaluate the building blocks required for a transformation in lifelong and life-wide learning through micro-credentials.
Micro-credentials developed at partner universities will set the standard for excellence in flexible and agile learning.
The MicroCreds project is working in partnership with learners and an enterprise advisory group, comprising senior enterprise members from business representative organisations at the national level, enterprise agencies, private sector companies and state bodies with responsibility for skills.
Funding
The MicroCreds project is funded under the Higher Education Authority (HEA) Human Capital Initiative Pillar 3 and is led by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) in partnership with seven of the founding IUA universities: Dublin City University, Maynooth University, Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork, University College Dublin, University of Galway and University of Limerick.
The MicroCreds.ie platform has been developed in collaboration with university and enterprise stakeholders.
To view the new platform, visit https://microcreds.ie/.
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