ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR III
We would like to have our people ready to get jobs even without the degree as long as they have the skills . They can just go back later and finish the degree.
In today’s rapidly changing job market, skills – not degrees – are becoming increasingly valuable to employers. The nature of work and careers is changing fast, and in the future, the right skills will be prized over academic qualifications alone 1.
For generations, we have spent the first third of our lives acquiring the college degrees we need to find jobs. These degrees are the stamps on our professional passports that paved the way for the remaining two-thirds of our journey. However, this implies that the nature of our work, along with the skills and knowledge required to execute it, remains unchanged for a lifetime – which is no longer true 1.
While our parents likely held one job for life, most of us have had several – and not just jobs but careers, too. Our children can expect to have many jobs and careers through their professional lives – perhaps even at the same time, with the maturing of the gig economy.
Clearly, the future of work will not be about college degrees; it will be about job skills.
Microcredentials are mini qualifications that can help individuals learn new skills, progress in their careers or change careers entirely. Also known as microdegrees or nanodegrees, they are often on-demand online courses that can be completed in your own time and provide certification upon completion. They are designed to be fast, accessible and specialized.
Microcredentials are mainly offered by universities, business schools, colleges and further education centers. These shorter courses are often listed along with the more traditional degrees for anyone to access. Professional bodies may also work with institutes or licensed organizations to offer microcredentials directly to employees.
Microcredentials offer numerous benefits for employees, employers and organizations of all sizes. When designed correctly, microcredentials are flexible, portable and cost-effective to implement.
In Abuyog Community College, we will be implementing Project Baton (Abuyog Community College Response) a shift towards Skill-based and Microcreditailing approach to education. To me, this is something old yet given a new lease of life and demanded by the times.
We would like to have our people ready to get jobs even without the degree as long as they have the skills. They can just go back later and finish the degree.
