Academic Centre
The introduction of microcredentials is an essential step in the direction of modern and student-centred learning, giving everyone a greater freedom of choice and offering the opportunity to create one’s own individual learning path. As explained by Mārīte Seile, head of the UL Mārīte Seile, the head of the UL Education Innovation Unit, in the today’s conditions of rapid technological development, a single education programme completed once and for all is no longer sufficient.
Flexible and labour market-appropriate and excellent professional development
“Adults who are not ready to enrol into full-scale classical study programmes require a quality professional development offer. It must provide opportunities for targeted and effective renewal and improvement of skills,” explains M. Seile. Although there is already a wide range of courses available, their quality vastly differs, and it is not always possible to translate the knowledge acquired in the courses in credit points that would apply to further studies, if the need or desire to study further arises.”
“In today’s rapidly changing labour market, the demand for new skills and skill development in mid-career is on a constant rise. The introduction of microcredentials helps universities to create a more flexible and labour market-appropriate offer, enabling both students and people who have graduated many years ago to learn additional skills in a concentrated manner. The implementation of the microcredentials’ approach in higher education is a priority of the Ministry of Education and Science (MES)”, comments Jānis Paiders, Deputy State Secretary of MES regarding the accomplishment of UL.
Adults need learning opportunities that are shorter in duration, effective, provide a chance to start learning immediately, flexible in approach and compatible with work, targeted at specific skills (both technical and personal) and comparable to study courses. Such certifications – microcredentials – are being introduced in many parts of Europe.
Microcredentials can be obtained for the study volume of 3–59 credit points. Microcredentials will be prepared and issued by the UL Professional Development Academy.
The first course to issue UL microcredentials is “Introduction to Bioinformatics”. A wider range of UL courses and modules to offer microcredentials to the individuals who will have completed them, will be available from the beginning of next year. More information about the current affairs of lifelong learning will be available on the UL website www.lu.lv.
Introduction of microcredentials is one of the activities in the Recovery and Resilience Facility project "Internal and External Consolidation of the University of Latvia" (No. 5.2.1.1.i.0/2/24/I/CFLA/007), implemented by the University of Latvia and the BA School of Business and Finance. The first trial of microcredentials takes place with a state-of-the-art training course, created and newly tested in the study process and funded by project “High Level Digital Skills Acquisition in Latvia in High Performance Computing” (No. 2.3.1.1.i.0/1/22/I/CFLA/003) under the auspices of the Recovery and Resilience Facility plan’s investment 2.3.1.1.i. Investment 2.3.1.1.i. “Ensuring the acquisition of high-quality digital skills”
 has successfully introduced a system of microcredentials, offering even wider and more flexible opportunities to acquire specific knowledge, skills and competences that meet the needs of employers and correspond to individual interests. In the future, it will be possible to receive a certificate of knowledge equivalent to study credits for taking courses and modules outside the range of full study programmes. Microcredentials will also be taken into account when acquiring study programmes in the future. The first training course, after completion of which the participants will receive microcredentials, has already commenced on 8 November. ){kind=link}