UNIVERSITY of Limerick (UL) has teamed up with six other universities nationwide to promote lifelong learning and upskilling.
As part of the newly-launched MicroCreds programme, UL and the Irish Universities Association (IUA) have launched a new platform for short university-accredited courses, MicroCreds.ie.
The website aims to bring together hundreds of short, flexible, and accredited courses into one central place for learners and enterprise.
The platform is the first of its kind in Europe and was a key target of the five-year MicroCreds project.
MicroCreds partner universities have developed micro-credentials in key skills areas including sustainability, digital transformation, data programming, digital disruption, and fintech (financial technology).
Speaking at the MicroCreds launch last week, UL President Professor Kerstin Mey said that the MicroCreds project is a great way to help Ireland achieve its lifetime learning targets.
“Ireland has an extremely ambitious lifelong learning target of 60 per cent of adults engaging in some form of upskilling by 2030. Micro-credentials, which are informed by enterprise, but more importantly are quality assured by leading Irish Universities, offer a perfect solution to help Ireland to reach these targets by 2030.”
“The flexibility and agility of micro-credentials means learners can address specific skills needs in a way that suits them,” Prof Mey said.
“Here at University of Limerick, we have developed micro-credentials in collaboration with enterprise in areas such as AI and machine learning, sustainable organisations, and supply chain management to name a few.
“Our aim, through our involvement with the MicroCreds project, is to work as a collective with our fellow IUA partners to address both regionally specific and national priority skills needs,” she concluded.
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science, Simon Harris 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 futureproof their careers,” he said.
“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,” the Minister concluded.
