In the previous post, we explored the possibility of creating a micro-credentials program that would work alongside traditional liberal arts degrees to better prepare your graduates for immediate success in the workforce.  In this post, we will outline some specific steps to undertake to implement such a program.  These steps include 1) determining which credentials to offer, 2) actually developing or obtaining the program materials, 3) collaborating with industry, 4) creating a robust assessment and feedback system, and 5) ensuring the program adequately serves disadvantaged student populations.

Determining Which Micro-Credentials to Offer

Various workplace fields demand a wide variety of workplace competencies.  It’s unlikely that your IHE will be able to provide all of them to students.  Hence, it’s important to determine which competencies your students need most and to develop a selection process.  To determine which micro-credentials your institution needs to offer:

1. Identify the needs of your target audience:  Consider the skills and competencies that are in demand in the labor market and among your current and prospective students. Conduct a needs assessment to gather data on the skills and competencies that are needed in your region or industry.
2. Align all micro-credentials with your institution’s mission and goals:  Ensure that the micro-credentials you offer are aligned with your institution’s mission and strategic goals. Consider how micro-credentials can help you achieve your goals for student success, workforce development, and community engagement.  Here it will be critical to incorporate your institution’s overall strategic plan as well as the strategic plans for academics and for student life.
3. Consider your institution’s strengths and resources:  Is your school known for its arts programs?  For its healthcare degrees?  For its role in developing young ministers? Assess your institution’s strengths and resources to determine which micro-credentials you are best positioned to offer. Consider your faculty expertise, facilities, and partnerships with businesses and industry.
4. Conduct a competitive analysis:  Research other institutions that offer micro-credentials and identify the micro-credentials that are in high demand. Consider how you can differentiate your micro-credentials from those offered by other institutions.

Determining the Source of Your Micro-Credentials 

You can’t simply go down to the nearest big box store to pick them up!  Once you determine which micro-credentials you need to offer, decide upon the best method for acquiring the source materials for them.  There are three basic sources to choose from:

1. Grow your own:  Your academic and student life units will already have a pretty clear vision of the kinds of skills your particular students need to have to succeed in the marketplace.  Consult with the staff in your career development office.  Your alumni association can certainly help here as well.  Keep in mind, however, that too much work on this method will result in re-inventing the wheel.  Most of these workplace competencies are very well-known and can be derived from a simple Google search.  The problem is how to develop an array of micro-credentials that will be widely recognized and affirmed by employers as reputable.  That’s where getting outside help through one of the other two methods below might be a better idea.
2. Adapt materials from agencies specializing in workplace competencies for college graduates (with their permission, of course):  One of the most important resources here is the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).  NACE is a professional association that connects nearly 17,000 college career services professionals, university relations and recruiting professionals, and the business solution providers that serve this community.  They are a leading source of information on the employment of the college educated.  NACE has developed the “NACE Eight,” a set of eight career readiness competencies that research has shown are most in demand in the modern workplace.  An institution I recently worked with adapted the NACE Eight in developing their own set of workplace competencies for their students.  Many other institutions have used the NACE eight in developing similar programs.
3. Hire consulting agencies to help:  There are a number of consulting firms that specialize in helping IHEs prepare their students for career success.  Some these also focus on particular student populations, such as international students, first-generation college students, or students from disadvantaged backgrounds.  

Pursuing Robust Industry Collaboration

Integrating micro-credentialing programs with local businesses and industries is critical for the success of student work readiness programs.  Working with local industry can create valuable opportunities for students and strengthen connections between academia and the workforce. Establishing and nurturing these relationships can help ensure that micro-credentials are aligned with current industry trends and needs.  Connections with local industries will provide students with opportunities to gain real-world experience and skills through informal arrangements as well as formal internships (hopefully, paid internships).  The process assists students develop and maintain a strong network of professional contacts.  It will enhance the reputation of both the institution and the industry partners.  Finally, it will increase the employability of all of your graduates, particularly students majoring in the arts and letters.

Here are some steps you can take to facilitate this collaboration:

• Identify industry needs:  Conduct research or engage in discussions with local businesses and industries to identify their skill requirements and workforce needs. Understand the specific competencies and credentials that employers value in prospective hires.
• Establish industry partnerships:  Forge partnerships and collaborations with local businesses, industry associations, and professional organizations. Explore opportunities for joint initiatives, such as co-designing micro-credentialing programs, offering internships or apprenticeships, or providing guest lectures and industry workshops.
• Develop micro-credentials relevant to your industry partners:  Based on the identified industry needs, collaborate with faculty, industry experts, and relevant stakeholders to design micro-credentials that align with the skills and knowledge sought by employers. Ensure that the micro-credentials are practical, relevant, and address real-world challenges.
• Offer work-based learning opportunities:  Integrate work-based learning experiences, such as internships, externships, or project-based collaborations, into the micro-credentialing program. Partner with employers to provide students with hands-on experience and exposure to real-world workplace environments.
• Facilitate networking and mentoring:  Organize networking events, industry panels, or mentorship programs to connect students with professionals in their field of interest. Encourage industry professionals to serve as mentors or guest speakers, sharing their insights and expertise with students.  There are also numerous software packages available to IHEs that help foster these relationships between students and potential employers that have partnered with the school.
• Promote career pathways:  Sometimes, students may not be fully aware of all of the career opportunities their chosen major makes available to them.  That’s because many students choose a major simply because it interests them.  Provide students with guidance and support to navigate career pathways and explore job opportunities related to their micro-credentials. Offer career counseling, resume workshops, and job placement services to help students transition from education to employment.  Of course, we all have career development offices to help with this effort.  But individual faculty can also be trained to mentor students in ways that dovetail with the efforts of career services.
• Measure impact and success:  As is the case with everything we do in higher ed administration, we should continuously evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the micro-credentialing program in terms of student outcomes, employer satisfaction, and workforce readiness. Gather feedback from students, faculty, and industry partners to identify areas for improvement and refinement.
• Sustain Engagement:  Finally, close the feedback loop by making appropriate changes to your micro-credentialing program and to keep momentum moving forward.  Maintain ongoing communication and collaboration with industry partners to ensure the relevance and currency of the micro-credentialing program. Invite them onto campus regularly to speak to and mentor students.  Recognize these partnerships publicly in a way that fosters deepened relationships.  In general, adapt and evolve the program in response to changing industry trends and emerging skill requirements.

Stressing Assessment and Continuous Improvement

Assess every aspect of your micro-credentialing program.  Without this assessment, you won’t know what’s working and what’s not.  The needs of the workplace evolve more rapidly than the needs of higher education curriculum.  So don’t allow your micro-credentialing program to fall behind the curve of meeting industry needs.  Don’t worry that you’re ignoring your students’ needs by concentrating on the needs of employers.  Instead, keep in mind that in this arena the needs of your employers are the needs of your students.

In developing an effective assessment and continuous improvement plan for your program, keep in mind the following tips.  These are pretty basic to any good assessment plan, so try to avoid making it more complicated than absolutely necessary.

• Maintain a laser focus on the target audience:  Clearly define the purpose of the micro-credential and identify the target audience.
• Consider the skills and competencies that are in demand among your industry partners, and then align the micro-credential accordingly.
• Set up an effective quality assurance framework:  Don’t forget to develop a set of concrete outcomes for each micro-credential.  Make sure these outcomes are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound).  This set of outcomes will form the framework for determining success for each aspect of the program.
• Emphasize data collection and analysis:  Collect data on learner outcomes, employer satisfaction, and the impact of the micro-credential on career advancement for students.  Analyze data to inform decision-making and improve the effectiveness of micro-credentials.  Further, it will be helpful to conduct benchmarking studies to compare the micro-credential with similar programs offered by other institutions.  Use these benchmarking results to identify additional areas for improvement and enhance the micro-credential’s competitiveness.
• Foster a culture of assessment and evaluation:  Involve campus experts in testing and measurement to develop high-quality assessments.  Utilize a variety of assessment methods, such as written exams, oral presentations, or performance-based tasks, to evaluate learners’ skills and competencies.  Ensure that assessments are aligned with the learning outcomes and objectives of the micro-credential.  Finally, foster an atmosphere of excellence by implementing a process for continuous improvement and quality enhancement of micro-credentials.
• Validate assessment results with industry and employers:  You should validate the skills and competencies represented by the micro-credential with industry experts and potential employers.  Then, once the assessment results are in and have been analyzed, consult with those same industry partners to make sure their impressions align with yours.  Further, you’ll want to confirm that the needs of your industry partners haven’t changed since the program was developed.  So obtain feedback from employers to ensure that the micro-credential is relevant to job market needs.
• Communicate your results effectively:  If you’ve done a good job assessing the program up to this point, you’ll probably have successes you’ll want to share, celebrate, and use in institutional marketing.  Don’t be shy about communicating the results of your assessment process.  Emphasize how the micro-credential enhances employability and career advancement.  These success stories will inspire students, reassure parents, win over skeptical faculty colleagues, and excite your industry partners.  So clearly communicate the value of your various micro-credentials to all stakeholders, including learners, employers, and academic institutions.  Your marketing staff will also be tickled to have good material for press releases and other marketing materials.  
• Set up a clear and workable governance and oversight process:  Finally, establish a governance structure to oversee the development, implementation, and evaluation of micro-credentials.  An oversight committee populated by faculty, the career development officer, and the institutional research officer may be sufficient.  This committee will help ensure that there is clear accountability for the quality and effectiveness of micro-credentials.

Making Micro-Credentials Available to Disadvantaged Students

Microcredentials are particularly important for students from disadvantaged groups.  Research affirms that gaps exist between the career readiness of disadvantaged students and that of other student populations.  We must do more to mitigate this gap.  More needs to be done to make these opportunities available and affordable to a wide range of learners, including those from disadvantaged and marginalized backgrounds.  Here are some basic steps to take in this direction in your micro-credentialing program.  

• Reduce the fees to a bare minimum:  Removing or minimizing the monetary cost of micro-credential programs can make them more accessible to learners from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. This can be achieved through financial aid, scholarships, or other forms of financial assistance.
• Provide flexible payment options:  Offering flexible payment options, such as installment plans or pay-as-you-go models, can make micro-credentials more affordable for learners who may not be able to pay the full cost upfront.
• Offer micro-credentials in multiple formats:  Providing micro-credentials in both online and face-to-face formats can make them more accessible to learners with different learning preferences and schedules. Online courses, in particular, can be more accessible for learners in remote or underserved areas.
• Collaborate with community organizations:  Partnering with community organizations and nonprofits can help to connect learners from disadvantaged and marginalized backgrounds with micro-credential programs and provide them with additional support services, such as tutoring or counseling.
• Promote micro-credentials to a wide range of learners:  Ensuring that information about micro-credential programs is widely disseminated and accessible to learners from all backgrounds is essential for increasing participation. This can be done through outreach efforts, social media campaigns, and partnerships with community organizations.
• Ensure relevance of micro-credentials to the needs of disadvantaged learners:  Microcredentials should be developed in response to the actual needs of the labor market and designed to provide learners with the skills and knowledge employers are seeking. This can be achieved through collaboration with businesses and industry leaders.
• Pursue the wide scale recognition of micro-credentials:  Employers, educational institutions, and government agencies should all recognize and value micro-credentials as legitimate forms of credentialing. So regardless of where you obtain the program material for your program, make sure that the industries and employers who are likely to employ your students recognize the credentials you offer.  

Conclusion

Micro-credentials can bridge the perceived gap between the well-rounded education that the liberal arts provide and the specific skills employers seek.  These credentials provide numerous benefits for students and institutions, including better preparing students for post-graduation success, fostering collaboration with area industry and employers, and  helping to ensure equitable access for all students.

Liberal arts colleges and universities can and should leverage micro-credentials to strengthen their curriculum, enhance student career readiness, and ensure their graduates remain competitive in the ever-evolving workforce. Doing so will further empower IHEs to stay true to their core mission of fostering critical thinking and well-rounded graduates while also equipping them with the in-demand skills needed to thrive in the 21st century.