Bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and PhDs have a well-defined function, while lifelong learning in the broad sense complements and should facilitate refreshing in new or complementary subjects, which are also characterised by their markedly professionalising nature. These two aspects are currently very much on the agendas of the various stakeholders: policy makers, employment services, higher education institutions and university quality agencies. The challenges associated with lifelong learning are diverse, such as establishing flexible learning pathways, recognition, labour market relevance and quality assurance, among others.
In this respect, last July the AQU Catalunya Institutional and Programme Review Commission (CAIP) approved the Guide to Certification of Internal Quality Assurance Systems in Higher Education Institutions. This Guide that should help continue progress towards the institutional accreditation of university centres, but also, in accordance with its name, enable the lifelong learning centres in the Catalan university system to advance in certifying lifelong learning master’s degrees and short learning programmes (micro-credentials), among others. These training activities are not expected to be assessed programme by programme by the agencies, but will be part of the certification of the institution’s internal quality assurance systems (IQAS). For this reason, the aim of the Guide is to establish the standards and criteria that make it possible to determine whether the management system is in place in the higher education institution, whether it is being run appropriately and whether it ensures the quality of the education programmes.
Short learning programmes (SLPs) are a type of course (unit, module, etc.) in a particular subject area that focus on specific societal needs which can be a part of larger degree programmes. The micro-credential is evidence of a student’s learning outcomes after an SLP. The term micro-credential has become widespread internationally.
Micro-credentials are a developing topic, but they are also a challenge for the European Union
AQU Catalunya has carried out a series of micro-credential pilot actions. You can read about it in the article by Esther Huertas and Carme Edo in our April 2021 newsletter. It includes the results of the design and implementation of a pilot programme for the ex ante accreditation of SLPs linked to the Public Employment Service of Catalonia (SOC) Training Specialities Catalogue, an action our agency carried out jointly with the SOC, the Consortium for Lifelong Learning in Catalonia, the Directorate General for the Knowledge Society, Transfer and Territory, the Catalan universities and the Barcelona Digital Talent alliance. The first programme focused on ICT topics, after which, in 2022, two new assessment projects were carried out focusing on renewable energies and automotion and sustainable mobility. You can find all the information on our website.
In short, this issue has taken on enormous significance in recent years because of the importance of connecting higher education and vocational training and its assessment and design have been placed within the framework of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). A number of international initiatives are trying to define the basis for quality assurance, notable among them the publication A European Approach to Micro-credentials by the European Commission on the European approach to micro-credentials.
Micro-credentials are a developing topic, but they are also a challenge for the European Union insofar as their certification is linked to a European register that facilitates international recognition. In Spain, Royal Decree 822/2021 has already incorporated them, while the later University System Act (LOSU), passed this year, also recognises them as a matter to implement. The Ministry of Universities itself wants to give a major boost to their implementation with an ambitious plan to support micro-credentials for the period 2024-2026.
In short, lifelong learning and micro-credentials, which provide specific, highly vocational training, could gradually be incorporated into a framework of quality assurance, since they increase the confidence of society. They also undoubtedly add value to workers’ CVs to improve their employability.