Three in four students are more likely to opt for a University that offers skills-based certifications – also known as ‘microcredentials’ – alongside traditional degrees.

That’s according to new research from Coursera, which encompassed 1,058 higher education leaders from 852 institutions across 89 nations.

Just over half (51%) of Universities surveyed currently offer microcredentials on their curriculum, although there are fluctuations in differing global regions.

European institutions (47%) were less likely to offer microcredentials than North American counterparts (59%), although Coursera noted there were barriers to successful integration of microcredentials in all regions.

Speaking exclusively to UNLEASH about the research, Coursera  Managing Director for EMEA, Nikolaz Foucaud, says microcredentials in high-demand areas such as IT, with specializations like coding for cloud computing, help students build “a strong foundation of career-ready skills.”

“To ensure that British universities are nurturing graduates ready to thrive in the digital economy, more work needs to be done in Europe to advocate for, and implement, micro-credentials,” Foucaud comments.

“85% of students in Asia Pacific are more likely to enroll in learning programs that offer academic credit for micro-credentials, as well as 75% for Latin America and the Caribbean, but just 56% say the same in Europe.

A new form of qualification for tomorrow’s employees

While almost all University leaders (97%) agreed that microcredentials improve the long-term career prospects for students, the research found many are finding it difficult to embrace new approaches to learning through microcredentials.

The biggest obstacle found was a lack of awareness of microcredentials (50%), followed by difficulties integrating microcredentials with existing curricula (45%) and uncertainty about quality (35%).

While there are still barriers to overcome, eight in 10 (82%) of respondents stated the intention to implement microcredentials within the next five years.

Institutions plan to identify resource allocation (53%), curriculum transformation (50%), and ensuring faculty buy-in and engagement (47%) as key actions to introducing microcredentials in future.

Foucaut adds that as employers increasingly look for graduate candidates with the necessary skills to be workplace ready, this form of qualification is being viewed with “increased regard and prevalence” in modern higher education.

But, he says,  it “doesn’t stop with microcredentials.”

“Microcredentials must be recognized with academic credit in the same way that a traditional degree would be, to appear meaningful on a candidate’s CV,” Foucaut tells UNLEASH.

We have started to see this in Europe, with some online courses from the likes of IBM and Google being recognized by the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System. 

“However, there is more to be done, and higher education must continue to collaborate with industry to meet the rapidly changing needs of employers and students.”