What Microcredentials Are and How They Can Help Your Career

What if there was a way to get recognized for your expertise with an official digital credential? Whereas a traditional course, certificate, or degree helps you learn a new skill or area of knowledge, a microcredential tells employers you have the skills they’re looking for. When it comes down to you or the other person getting the job or promotion, credentials matter to employers and your network.

In a rapidly changing job market, there’s an increasing need to continually update your skills to remain competitive. Microcredentials facilitate this process by offering short, skills-based certifications that demonstrate your knowledge and expertise in a specific area. They can be completed online in a couple of weeks and cost less than traditional courses and degrees.

Research by human resources consulting firm Robert Half indicates 95 percent of executives find it somewhat or very challenging to hire employees with the appropriate skills and talents – a longstanding impasse that’s come to be known as the “skills gap.”

With a microcredential, you can prove you have the in-demand skills and competencies that employers are lacking in their organization. By sharing your digital credential on LinkedIn, it not only helps you when applying for jobs but also signals to peers in your professional network what your skill sets are.

Digital credentials can help you stand out in your current job, demonstrate your commitment to your career, and make you a more likely candidate for promotions and salary increases. The skills and knowledge that you’re able to prove can also contribute to your professional growth.

For example, if you’re an account manager at a small marketing company who is also tasked with project management as part of your role, you’re likely not interested in obtaining a Project Management Professional (PMP) designation. However, being able to demonstrate that you have the technical skills to be a good project manager is important to your career as it shows you understand what is needed to make a project successful.

The Benefits of Microcredentials

Microcredentials offer numerous benefits as a way to stay competitive in the job market and keep you on track with your career goals.

Shareable
One of the unique features of microcredentials is that you can share your digital credentials as proof of your expertise in a particular area on your resumé and LinkedIn profile. Each digital credential contains metadata – a detailed description of the skillset, assessment approach, time it took to complete, date it was issued, and date it expires – so that employers can get quick and verifiable insights into your achievement. It also signals to them that you have the skills they are looking for.

Flexible
Compared with a traditional degree, microcredentials are flexible in that they can be fit into your already busy life. A microcredential isn’t going to consume numerous hours over months to complete. In fact, they can be completed in under 10 hours, spread out over two weeks.
There’s no attendance required and they can be done completely online at your pace and a time that best works for you. Also, many employers aren’t offering in-house training as much as they did in the past, so with the limited time employees have outside of work, microcredentials are easier to budget time for.

Specific
You might hold a degree in a broad area like business, for example, but are maybe lacking in a particular skill set like digital accessibility. Whereas degrees are often broader and cover a variety of subject areas, microcredentials are laser-focused on a particular skill set or expertise, making them highly relevant to career advancement or personal development.

Quick
Microcredentials have a shorter time commitment than traditional certificates or degrees, allowing you to quickly obtain proof of the skills you need to meet specific job requirements or personal goals. So say, for example, you want to go for a promotion within a few months rather than a few years, then your goal is closer in sight.

Recognized
Microcredentials offered by a reputable institution, like The Chang School at Toronto Metropolitan University, validate the quality of the credential that is earned. The Chang School has built a reputation for offering quality education that employers recognize and trust.

Stackable
They are stackable, meaning that you can complete certain related microcredentials to earn a microcertificate. This stackable concept allows you to build proof of your skill set and expertise incrementally.

Cost Effective
If you already have the skills you need to go for your dream job, but just need to prove your expertise to hiring managers, microcredentials are a cost-effective way to demonstrate your skill set and experience.

Choosing a Microcredential

With a multitude of organizations offering microcredentials, including industry associations and colleges and universities, it can be difficult to know where to start. Ask yourself what skills your employer is currently lacking and how that relates to your current role or next career move. Or if you’re currently in-between jobs, take a look at the roles you want to apply for and see which skills employers are looking for. Then do your research and seek out those post-secondary institutions that offer what you’re looking for.

At The Chang School, our Curv microcredentials have been created in partnership with industry experts who are leaders in their fields — so your credentials match the most sought-after skills of today’s ever-evolving job market.

“Curv microcredentials offer new opportunities for career-focused adult learners to strengthen their skill set and demonstrate their expertise in order to reach their goals,” says Gary Hepburn, Dean of The Chang School at Toronto Metropolitan University. “As technology and innovation drive change across business sectors, The Chang School is committed to offering programming like microcredentials that are responsive to Canada’s skill gap and the needs of industry employers.”

Curv microcredentials are categorized by areas of expertise, including digital accessibility, project management, ransomware prevention, and understanding data.

When you earn a Curv microcredential, you will benefit from career advancement opportunities by boosting your employability and job prospects, and have proof of an in-demand skill that can be shared with employers and on your LinkedIn profile or CV.