Quality management of microcredentials
The concept of microcredentials has been introduced at the EU level as one means of responding to the rapidly changing skills needs of the labour market and society, as well as to structural transformation. When designed in close cooperation with companies and other stakeholders, microcredentials can provide solutions to skills gaps and create flexible and innovative opportunities for upskilling and reskilling.
A microcredential refers to a small, certified unit of learning. Its scope is specified (1-59 ECTS), the intended learning outcomes are recorded, assessment is carried out using reliable methods, and learners receive a digital certificate. According to the definitions of the EU and the MICROBOL project, microcredentials can be offered as stand-alone modules extracted from degree programmes or entirely independent of formal degree structures.
In Finland, the development of microcredentials focuses particularly on educational solutions offered outside formal degree programmes, building on specific expertise and research, development and innovation activities of higher education institutions, address the skills needs of a clearly defined target group, promote the creation of new competences, and can be commercialised.
FINEEC’s self-assessment framework to support the internal quality management of microcredentials (2026)
In 2026, FINEEC will develop a self-assessment framework for the quality management of microcredentials to support the development work of higher education institutions. The self-assessment framework will replace the one-off evaluation round of quality assurance procedures for microcredentials recorded in the Evaluation Plan for Education (2024–2027). The use of the self-assessment framework will be voluntary for higher education institutions.
The development project for FINEEC’s self-assessment framework will be implemented once Secle’s pilot procurement (Secle 2024, available in Finnish) and the Finnish National Framework for Microcredentials (draft version, available in Finnish) have been completed. Higher education institutions will be informed separately about the testing phase of the self-assessment framework, which is expected to take place in 2026.
As a result, a self-assessment model will be created and remain available for higher education institutions to support the internal quality management of microcredentials.
External quality management of microcredentials in the context of institutional audits
In Finland, it has been established as a national policy that the quality management of microcredentials is an integral part of the institutional quality systems of higher education institutions. External evaluation will be carried out in connection with each institution’s audit.
In the pilot phase handbook for FINEEC’s fourth audit cycle (2025–2030), the external quality management of microcredentials falls under the evaluation area of Learning supported by teaching and guidance and subarea Continuous learning (FINEEC 2025, pp. 14–15).
In considering the internal quality management of microcredentials, it is important to note that the draft national framework provides a quality checklist that can be used, for example, when approving microcredentials as part of the educational provision.
FINEEC consulted higher education institutions on the development stage of microcredentials
Since FINEEC lacked an up-to-date overview of the development and quality management of microcredentials in higher education institutions, it conducted a consultation round in spring 2025.
A total of 20 experts participated in the consultations, including:
- persons responsible for continuous learning at universities and universities of applied sciences,
- representatives in charge of microcredential development in alliance cooperation,
- quality managers of higher education institutions,
- experts from Digivision and Secle.
The consultation round concluded with a discussion between FINEEC and the Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM) in April 2025, where it was agreed on linking FINEEC’s project to the national development work on microcredentials and development of self-assessment framework.
Good practices and some development challenges
Based on FINEEC’s consultations, good practices are emerging, for example, in higher education development and cooperation projects (including Digivision, Secle and Joppi) as well as in alliance collaborations.
Key development challenges in quality management of microcredentials include:
- translating labour market cooperation into educational provision,
- creating agile design and quality management processes,
- defining learning outcomes in research- and innovation-based provision,
- enabling flexible learning paths and smoother recognition of prior learning,
- aligning feedback systems for commercial and research/innovation-based provision with the quality management procedures of degree education.
International background
Numerous EU-level policy guidelines, guides, and studies on microcredentials have been published:
- In 2022, the Council of the European Union issued a recommendation on a European framework for microcredentials (EU 2022).
- The MicroBol project helped clarify the concept of microcredentials (Microbol 2022).
- Several international guides (e.g. Cimea 2020; Cedefop 2025) and studies (e.g. ENQA 2023a; OECD 2023a; OECD 2023b) have been produced to support micro-credential development.
- In 2023, an ENQA working group examined the applicability of the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG 2015) to the internal and external quality assurance of microcredentials (ENQA 2023b).
- European policy goals for reskilling have been outlined in the EU’s Union of Skills agenda (EU 2025).
- A current theme in the European debate is further strengthening microcredentials as recognized qualifications and integrating them into national and European qualifications frameworks (e.g. QUATRA 2025).
Sources
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Cedefop. (2025). Microcredentials for labour market education and training. Project on the role microcredentials playing in supporting labour market-related and employment-relevant education, training and learning.
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MinEdu. (2024). Pienten osaamiskokonaisuuksien kansallinen viitekehys/linjaus. [Finland’s national framework/guideline for microcredentials]. Draft version, April 2024.
Secle. (2024). Pienten osaamiskokonaisuuksien pilotointi käynnistyy seitsemässä korkeakoulussa. [The piloting of microcredentials begins in seven higher education institutions]. The Service Cenre for Continuous Learning and Employment (Secle). Press release 22 October 2024.
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Sirpa Moitus
