University network at the forefront of continuous learning

In the 2020s, expertise will be the most significant prerequisite for growth, and the availability of skilled labor will determine our position in international competition. Continuous maintenance, development, and updating of skills require new ways to acquire knowledge. Micro-credentials are a way to meet the training needs of the workforce, and many EU countries have recently adopted them. In the Finnish higher education sector, micro-credentials are a new concept, as the work to define the concept to meet national needs was completed in the spring of 2024.

The project is carried out as a group project by the University of Eastern Finland, the University of Lapland, the University of Oulu, Tampere University, the University of Turku, the University of Vaasa, and Åbo Akademi University. The project consists of five work packages (WP), with each university participating with different emphases and responsibilities. The themes of the work packages form a coherent whole.

WP 1: Coordination

WP 2: Customer-oriented continuous learning

WP 3: Continuous learning and micro credentials in universities

WP 4: A collaborative model for planning training offering

WP 5: Communication

The work packages of the project are designed so that WP2 brings understanding of the needs outside universities, especially those of the workforce, WP3’s main theme is university-level education and the ability of university actors to respond to the understanding gathered in WP2, and WP4 ensures that the added skills and capabilities can be utilized in the collaboration of educational actors so that the customer receives the best possible solution to develop their skills. WP1 focuses on ensuring that project cooperation runs as smoothly as possible, activities meet objectives, and collaboration is close with other stakeholders and actors. WP5 ensures that the results and outputs of the project are widely used in universities, and that university-level continuous learning and micro-credentials become more widely known to potential workforce customers, i.e., learners. Built on the existing network, the project enables effective cooperation and information flow, as well as diverse and comprehensive project activities.

During the project, work package 2 ”Customer-oriented continuous learning” examines customer-oriented operating models in continuous learning and micro-credentials and creates a common understanding of what micro-credentials are and how they are produced, offered, and implemented in a customer-oriented manner. Work package 3 ”Continuous learning and micro-credentials in universities” increases the capability of university staff to establish continuous learning and micro-credentials as part of university operations. Work package 4 ”Collaborative model for planning training offerings” builds a collaborative model for planning the offerings of micro-credentials through co-development. During the project, the university sector will form an understanding of the opportunities that micro-credentials bring to us. We will strengthen our cooperation and ensure the sufficiency of skills related to continuous learning and micro-credentials in our universities. We will create common operating models to ensure the provision of high-quality continuous learning services in the future as well.