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Published on: 07/10/2024Updated on: 07/10/2024
Developing the use of micro-certifications: This is what the Council of the European Union recommends to its member states in order to strengthen lifelong learning. IPERIA has been focusing on the subject of open recognition of skills for several years. Our experience and expertise are also sought by partners committed to this dynamic. We are also the leader in the MyCred4Home project, led by Erasmus+. Insights below.
Recognition of Skills: An International Issue
On September 18th in Paris, initiated by the ADevComp association, a professional conversation took place on the topic "European Horizons of Recognition", which was attended by Nadège Turco, our Deputy Director. This is a hot topic, especially since the idea of "small units of training that lead to skills recognition" (as defined by the European Commission) is shaking the global stage, particularly in Europe, which issued a recommendation in 2022.
This professional conversation provided an overview of the European and French landscape regarding the enhancement and validation of skills through innovative pathways such as open recognition, micro-credentials, verifiable credentials, open badges, open certifications, and micro-certifications. Their common goal? To offer alternative pathways for integration and promote social inclusion.
Micro-certifications are exactly a topic IPERIA has been focusing on since 2021 in the home care sector: "When the European Commission launched the first consultations on micro-credits and micro-conversions, we contributed alongside the European Federation of Family Employment (EFFE). Our goal was to incorporate a micro-certification within a career path framework to individualize the professional trajectories of employees in the sector of private employers and home care. It seems important to us to treat it as a certification in its own right, one that stands alone since it attests to a specific skill," explained Nadège Turco during her speech.
This commitment has now taken a very concrete form, as highlighted by IPERIA's Deputy Director: "We have submitted a project to Erasmus+ called MyCred4Home, where we are the lead partner, working with Belgian, Spanish, Italian, and Cypriot partners. We asked ourselves how we could adapt the concept of micro-credits, which was emerging at the European level, how we could deploy it for our sector, and how it could promote social inclusion and professional integration for vulnerable groups because, ultimately, these issues are relevant at the European scale."
To support Nadège Turco's comments, Camille Savre, Head of the Professional Skills and Certification Engineering Service at IPERIA, shared her expertise. Her department is indeed one of the key contributors to the MyCred4Home project, which will conclude in a few weeks."
MyCred4Home: Promoting Social Inclusion through Micro-Certifications
On October 24, three years of research and experimentation by our teams and European partners will culminate in the presentation of the MyCred4Home project at the Cité Internationale Universitaire in Paris. The event will bring together key figures in open recognition, including Philippe Petitqueux, Secretary-General of the Open Recognition Alliance, and Anastasia Pouliou, Expert at CEDEFOP, the EU's agency for vocational education and training.
The project started with field research: a contact phase with sector experts, employees, and private employers in four countries. This phase allowed us to identify the most sought-after skills in home care and design evaluations for each micro-competency. Camille Savre’s department established the reference framework: "The project experiments with the validation of skills such as performing cleaning tasks, addressing simple sentences to an employer, following instructions, or being organized," said Camille Savre, Head of the Professional Skills and Certification Engineering Service.
Next steps before the final event on October 24? Evaluations based on this framework will be compiled on an interactive online platform, available in French, Spanish, and English. Testing will take place in France and Spain with about 30 participants. A demonstration will be held during the event.
Join us on October 24 to explore new forms of recognition for skills acquired outside traditional educational systems and how we can "link formal certifications to informal recognition," as Nadège Turco puts it.
