What are Micro-Credentials and Why Should You Have Them?

Micro-credentials are the solution to a major problem. There are talent gaps in a variety of industries. From tech to insurance to accounting, this issue grows as these industries boom. These short courses are designed to close gaps in an employee’s skill set. This allows them to learn specific skills they need to continue their careers.

Making the decision to pursue a more non-traditional education can change the course of your career... and your life. Micro-credentials — as opposed to a degree program — have major benefits.

• They're stackable
• They're cost-effective
• You receive a personalized education tailored to your needs
• They'll align with your career aspirations
• They lead to more correct job education matching

When looking to expand your skill set, you might look at college courses. But, micro-credential cohort programs give you exactly what you need... with a much more appealing price point and timeline.

What is a micro-credential?

In short, micro-credentialing shows employers that you have knowledge of a specific subject. This can be anything from social media marketing to customer acquisition to project management to coding languages. They may also be assessed based on someone taking a test to determine their competency, or it might be based on the completion of a course or catalog of content.

Whatever the case, they show that you have training in the course subject. Subjects are often industry-specific skills that aren't offered in degree programs.

Think of your education as a mosaic. There are many pieces — your experience and skills — that make up the larger picture of your career. Degree programs or traditional courses will offer you big, overarching strokes of paint. Micro-credentials give you another shard to fit into the mosaic. In less time, you'll be able to complete the picture using the pieces you acquire. You'll also be digging deeper into each of those skills than you would in a degree program. And employers can see that!

Unlike degrees or certifications, these courses focus on one skill set. You can mix and match them as you see fit, but they’re not going to teach you several different skills in the industry. Instead, micro-credentialing allows you to learn about and perfect a single skill.

Stackable qualifications

The primary reason people want to get a micro-credential is to fill in a skill gap. In a traditional college setting, there’s no way to fill in for a single skill. For example, let’s say that you need a firmer grasp of tech sales. If you go to a college advisor about classes, they’re not going to give you a few classes to audit. Instead, they’re going to recommend a degree program to you that can take years to complete. And these programs are going to force you into taking extra courses that won’t further your career goals.

Micro-credentialing allows you to take the exact courses you need. But, many students have a few gaps they want to fill in! That’s why most educational institutions will offer stackable courses or course deals. They allow their students to fill in multiple gaps as needed.

At Uvaro we designed our course catalog with this concept in mind. Starting with Tech Sales Foundations you can grow vertically with courses like Account Executive Foundations and Sales Leadership Foundations. Or you could branch out to other post-sale roles with courses on Customer Success and Account Management. Flexibility is the name of the game with micro-credentials. They are there to help you grow in as little as 4-6 weeks (when you're ready of course).

These stackable courses allow those looking to further their skill sets to create their own path... rather than relying on something created by a professor who hasn’t worked in the industry in many years.

Cost-effective

Traditional colleges make you pay a lot of money to have the overrated College Experience™. As of 2019, the average tuition rate for a 4-year university hovers around $28,000 in the US. That’s a lot of money to hand over to fill a couple of skill gaps!

Cohort programs allow you the same skills grab as traditional college classroom courses. But without needing to spend thousands of dollars and also saves you a significant amount of time. Most concepts are the exact same as college curriculums. The difference? They’re significantly cheaper than college.

Micro-credentialing lets you balance your work, your life, and your education. We get that you need to work. With college courses, you need to plan your day around your school schedule.

This leads to one of two scenarios.

1. You take a few classes once or twice a week that can accommodate your work schedule. But you sacrifice that 4-year graduation date, and end up paying more to be in school for longer.

2. You quit your job, or cut down your hours to focus on college. This means you graduate with mounds of student debt and no employment prospects. You might have the degree, but none of the skills you need to apply it anywhere. That's thousands of dollars in lost wages.

Cohort programs allow you to keep a job while learning the skills you need to take your career to the next level.

Personalized education

Think about the last time you talked to a college advisor. They may have told you that you need to take 4 classes per semester. 2 years of general courses. Then 2 more years of specialized courses within your major. Not only is that hundreds of hours of work, but you have no room to pick and choose the classes YOU want — and need — to take.

Many college courses are on a rotating schedule. You will miss classes you may want to take and might need to wait 4 years for them to come again. Many students end up taking courses they don’t want or care about to meet their degree requirements.

Micro-credentials take all the pain out of the equation. Don't sit around hoping that your school will offer a course you’re interested in sometime before you graduate. Micro-credentialing allows you to pick the exact courses you need. You’ll be able to take exactly what you need when you need it.

This personalized approach to learning is the only way to close the talent gap. Many people cannot afford ever-increasing tuition rates. They can't spend hundreds of hours — and dollars — on courses they do not need. Micro-credentialing will allow you to create your own personalized education plan. You only have to spend time learning the information you need.

Alignment with career aspirations

It’s important to note how micro-credentials allow you to further your career goals. Back to our college example, think about how many courses one must take to get a Bachelor's degree. English, math, history, and an assortment of other classes are all required. This can be tedious and unnecessary for those who are eager to further their education in business.

We know that a key piece of Career Success is about feeling fulfilled in your job. With the traditional education model, you're forced into classes you aren't passionate about. This also means you may not invest your energy there. Then these classes become a waste of time and money. Picking and choosing allow you to follow your passions. This means you'll end up in a career that matches!

Micro-credentials allow you to get the exact knowledge you need to reach your goals. Forcing people to learn skills they’ll never use isn't sustainable. Why bother when you can get knowledge on specific topics that you need to land a new job or promotion? Students can work up the corporate ladder much faster. This also means they can achieve their goals.

Perfect job matches

Companies looking to onboard new employees look at employee credentials. Obviously. Many are also looking for proof that employees are up to date on the latest techniques. In fast-growing industries, this can mean that your college education becomes irrelevant a few years after graduation.

This is great for businesses, but it can start a headache for those looking to change jobs or apply for a raise. By continuing your education through micro-credentials, you are showing dedication to your industry. This makes you a more qualified hire for a business. You're more likely to get raises and promotions over others!

With bad job matching being such a prevalent barrier towards Career Success, this is such a no-brainer solution. You can cater your education to your career dreams. Your job will always be a perfect match for you as you grow. With a non-traditional education model like micro-credentialing, you can choose your own adventure.

There are numerous advantages to micro-credentials; however, the most popular include stackable, cost-effective, personalized, alignment with employee career aspirations, improved company culture, and more qualified hires. By taking micro-credential courses, employees can expect to learn the skills they need to close their personal talent gap as well as create a curriculum that aligns with their career goals.

Get your micro-credentials today

Uvaro helps enable you to change careers and prioritizes your Career Success. That's why we offer micro-credential programming to help anyone regardless of their background level up their skills and build their resumes.

Learn more about how Uvaro might be able to help you in your career journey today by downloading our Career Success Catalog.