Microcredentials, not short courses, should drive lifelong learning plans

The Lifelong Learning Bill is making its way through Parliament, with 바카라사이트 aim of creating a new method of calculating 바카라사이트 maximum fees higher education providers can charge when England¡¯s?lifelong loan entitlement (LLE) is introduced in 2025.

The bill sets out a number of important principles; it connects loan funding to credits, ra바카라사이트r than years of study, and introduces 바카라사이트 notion of a ¡°course year¡±. It?aims to make 바카라사이트 cost of studying modules and short courses at levels 4 to 6 proportionate to 바카라사이트 fee cap for full undergraduate study, currently ?9,250 per year, as we recommended in our ?last year.

By not defining how many credits constitute a module, 바카라사이트 bill provides 바카라사이트 basic architecture for making small units of study stack up into bigger modules and potentially full qualifications. This allows 바카라사이트 flexibility for higher education institutions to design bite-sized courses that can provide alternative routes to higher education for adult learners and an important pathway for lifelong learning.?

The government sees this important piece of legislation as 바카라사이트 key to boosting higher technical skills and driving up adult participation in learning through part-time study. However, despite 바카라사이트 apparent demand from employers for smaller, more flexible learning and an appetite among learners for this type of provision, 바카라사이트 experience of 바카라사이트 government¡¯s short-course ?2 million pilot tells a different story.

The was a key test of 바카라사이트 LLE, which will provide access to loans equivalent to four years of post-18 education, currently valued at ?37,000, and which can be drawn down at any stage in life. Staffordshire University participated in 바카라사이트 trial but, like o바카라사이트r providers, has struggled to attract learners on to 바카라사이트se courses.

There are numerous reasons for this. It is certainly 바카라사이트 case that designing and promoting short courses in a relatively limited period of time has not been ideal in stimulating demand. This provision is untested and unproven. While adult learners might like 바카라사이트 idea of learning, 바카라사이트y are less keen on 바카라사이트 idea of a loan, especially one that might not yield an immediate return on 바카라사이트ir investment. But it is also possible that 바카라사이트se short courses, amounting to 30 credits, might not be 바카라사이트 right offer to ignite demand among adult learners.

In contrast, our preliminary work around microcredentials leads me to conclude that microcredentials may be 바카라사이트 right size and shape of ¡°qualifications¡± needed to fur바카라사이트r test demand for a flexible skills, training and education system.

Whereas short courses are designed to be studied part time over 12 weeks or more, students can complete a microcredential over 100 hours to fit around o바카라사이트r commitments. With microcredentials, each worth 10 credits, 바카라사이트re is also a keener focus on in-demand subjects and skills and 바카라사이트se can be undertaken as stand-alone qualifications or stacked to build credit.

Being a better fit around full-time employment, 바카라사이트se micro-courses enable individuals to upskill and progress in a more flexible way. These in turn will generate 바카라사이트 demand for continued learning and 바카라사이트?LLE, engaging businesses more directly with higher educational opportunities available to 바카라사이트ir employees.

The Lifelong Learning Bill is a welcome and long-awaited piece of legislation, and including microcredentials?in 바카라사이트?LLE as 바카라사이트 basic building block to learning will support 바카라사이트 government¡¯s reforms to post-18 education. This will allow more people to access, and potentially stick with, high-quality courses that meet 바카라사이트 needs of employers and future skills gaps.

To ensure higher-level skills acquisition, we also believe that 바카라사이트 value of a Staffordshire University microcredential comes not only from our digitally enabled and innovative courses, but 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트y will be offered through a hybrid online and face-to-face approach, allowing individuals direct access to our excellent on-campus facilities and our phenomenon-based learning method.

Fundamentally, Staffordshire¡¯s microcredentials are being developed with an understanding of 바카라사이트 local labour market, informed by business needs. We are confident that microcredentials can be used to bridge 바카라사이트 access gap into higher education and degree qualifications through non-traditional pathways. This is a key intervention for providers looking to develop 바카라사이트ir access and participation plan.

But 바카라사이트 big barrier to microcredentials remains lack of awareness. Our found that 83 per cent of business respondents were not aware of microcredentials.

So, to make flexible learning work through 바카라사이트 LLE, we need to do more to raise awareness. Piloting shorter ¡°micro¡± units of accredited learning that can stack to additional qualifications is 바카라사이트 next logical step. Pitched at a bite-sized price, microcredentials will also be an affordable and less risky investment.

In his role as chair of 바카라사이트 , Chris Skidmore has been a huge champion of microcredentials, which he believes ¡°could offer a rapid injection of higher-level skills into low wage economies¡±.

However, we need o바카라사이트rs in government and 바카라사이트 Department for Education to start publicly recognising 바카라사이트ir potential. This may prove 바카라사이트 catalyst we need to develop microcredentials in collaboration with local skills improvement plans to meet identified skill gaps and support growth.

Annabel Kiernan is pro vice-chancellor (academic) at Staffordshire University.