Are Micro-credentials the answer for dealing with skill gaps?

According to a recent Conference Board of Canada report, the accommodation and food services sector has the highest rate of skills gap out of any other sector, with nearly 78% of businesses struggling to hire.

There is a combination of factors that have contributed to the growing skills gap including the social impacts of the pandemic, increased use of automation by businesses and costs involved for traditional training approaches.

To deal with these skills gaps, businesses and educational institutions have had to be creative in how they deliver and verify training. This has resulted in the birth of micro credentials – mini-qualifications that demonstrate an individual’s abilities, knowledge or experience in a specific subject area.

Understanding micro credentials

Micro-credentials in themselves are mini certifications that verify an individual’s knowledge or demonstration of a specific competency. A person may need to take training before taking the assessment that awards the micro-credential digital badge.

A digital badge is a new type of technology that shows specific skills gained through learning experiences. A digital badge is an icon but it is not a static image. It is web-based, clickable, and contains unique verifiable data. This data includes information regarding issuing institution, date of issuance, criteria for earning, and evidence that the learner has met the criteria.

After attaining a micro credential, a learner can share the digital badge on social media, resumes, email signatures, and within professional portfolios.  These badges can easily tell a recruiter, manager, or client, which skills an employee is well versed in.

How micro credentials can bridge the gap

With their short and stackable approach, micro credentials have the potential to really help bridge the skills gaps across all industries, but particularly accommodations and food services. 

Workers can personalize their learnings on areas where gaps exist or where they want to grow their career.  They can show the verification of their skills with digital badges that can be added to their work profile or resume.

Recruiters and employers can easily assess a worker’s knowledge and skills based on the micro credential badges they have earned.  They can also utilize micro-credentials to quickly upskill or reskill current staff and be confident that they have acquired the desired knowledge or skill.

Micro credentials are helping to close the skills gap that many businesses are experiencing. Their short and stackable approach make it easy for employers or job seekers to attain and validate the skills currently in demand.  In short, they are a valuable option when it comes to enhancing recruitment and retention strategies.