{"id":101912,"date":"2019-10-16T13:08:27","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T13:08:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.microsoft.com\/?p=434855"},"modified":"2019-10-16T13:08:27","modified_gmt":"2019-10-16T13:08:27","slug":"how-micro-credentialing-workers-can-help-bridge-the-worlds-digital-skills-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/10\/16\/how-micro-credentialing-workers-can-help-bridge-the-worlds-digital-skills-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"How micro-credentialing workers can help bridge the world\u2019s digital skills gap"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A new way of valuing workers\u2019 skills could change the lives of millions in underserved communities<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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\u201cMicro-credentialing\u201d is a new way of recognizing the knowledge and expertise that workers acquire through on-the-job experience and training. And, it could be key to bridging massive digital skills gaps around the world.<\/p>\n

It could also create unprecedented opportunities for millions of people who might otherwise be left behind by the 4th<\/sup> industrial revolution.<\/p>\n

Micro-credentialing is an alternative method of understanding the value of skills as we move toward an inclusive future of work. It goes beyond the formal qualifications that someone may, or may not, hold \u2013 especially people in underserved communities where educational opportunities are few.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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\"Kate<\/a>
Kate Behncken, Vice President, Microsoft Philanthropies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kate Behncken leads Microsoft Philanthropies, which has a global mission of empowering communities and nonprofits to realize the promise and potential of technology. It seeks to advance a future where everyone has the skills, knowledge, and opportunity to participate and succeed in the digital economy.<\/p>\n

The Philanthropies team enthusiastically advocates micro-credentialing through a wide range of programs and partnerships that are changing lives for the better across our region.<\/p>\n

Micro-credentialing empowers employees to regularly upskill. That means they can meet new workplace demands that arise as organizations restructure and business models change with digital transformation.<\/p>\n

It also gives job seekers, particularly from disadvantaged circumstances, a real chance to pursue rewarding careers. Others also get a leg-up, including mothers who want to return to work, along with anyone ready to re-train and make a new start.<\/p>\n

Skill shortages often hold back economic growth and national development. And some big-picture research suggests micro-credentialing programs could ease a few structural headaches for governments.<\/p>\n

For example, a recent Korn Ferry study<\/a> predicts a labor shortage of almost 50 million workers in Asia by 2030, with an annual opportunity cost of more than US$4 trillion annually.<\/p>\n

A recently published Microsoft Asia report<\/a> foresees micro-credentialing coming into its own with the advent of artificial intelligence technologies in many sectors. And Behncken believes workers, enterprises, and governments can all benefit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe advocate for a focus on the skills and experience somebody has,\u201d she says. \u201cThis enables more flexibility in the labor market, including more flexibility for people to re-train or re-enter the workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Careers are no longer ladders. They are more like vines in a rainforest. You can swing on one and then grab another.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

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In an interview during a recent visit to Singapore, Behncken pointed to changes in attitudes toward education and employment, such as a growing recognition that life-long learning is essential to work in the digital age.<\/p>\n

\u201cTraditionally, education has focused on infancy, early childhood, and young adults, followed by a long period of work when most people don\u2019t get any additional formal education. It is important that this model shifts,\u201d she says. \u201cWhy? Because the pace of technology is moving rapidly, people will constantly need to get new skills to keep their jobs or to get new ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

A micro-credentialing approach to education and training brings new flexibility to this reality.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: Grabbing opportunities for growth through reskilling in Asia Pacific<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

In the past, a worker might have regarded his or her career as akin to climbing a ladder. \u201cBut careers are no longer ladders. They are more like vines in a rainforest. You can swing on one and then grab another. People go in and out of roles. They switch jobs. Micro-credentialing allows for this sort of change to happen through someone\u2019s working life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Governments and other authorities across the region are also starting to embrace change. For instance, Behncken is impressed by the success of Malaysia\u2019s \u201cRecognition of Prior Learning\u201d <\/span>program. It issues \u2018Malaysian Skills Certificates<\/a>\u2019 to workers who do not have formal educational qualifications but who have obtained relevant knowledge, experience, and skills in the workplace to enhance their career prospects<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Micro-credentialing helps workers change jobs as they acquire skills through the life of their careers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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\u201cIt is helping a lot of people without formal qualifications to get recognized credentials or certifications based on the work experience they\u2019ve had, and the skills they\u2019ve gained. Having that makes them so much more valuable in the market. And, it enhances their career prospects.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

To push change further, Microsoft Philanthropies has acted as \u201ca testbed\u201d for its own initiatives. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, we worked with 1,000 women with low incomes from underserved communities in India attending Industrial Technology Institutes (ITIs). We helped them attain the Computer Operator and Programmer Associate certification, as well as the other essential skills that are needed to get a job today. It has been very successful. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in India is now looking at taking that on more broadly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In Japan, a Microsoft Philanthropies-piloted \u201cEmpowered Women<\/a>\u201d initiative saw 200 mothers gain the in-demand skills they needed to return to the workforce. The government is considering expanding it. \u201cWe ran this program and proved that it can be done,\u201d Behncken says.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are also efforts to help companies and organizations reform their long-held hiring practices and processes. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe suggest employers think about how they recruit for roles and be more skills-focused,\u201d she says. \u201cThey can do simple things like writing job descriptions in ways that are more inclusive so as to bring in a wider field of job candidates.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Daiana Beitler, who leads Microsoft Asia Philanthropies, says her team \u201chelps people from under-represented backgrounds get micro-credentials for the skills we know are in-demand in the region.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe then encourage partners and customers in our Microsoft ecosystem to hire them. These employers are searching for talent. We let them know that we have a pool of people from under-represented backgrounds with the right skill-sets. We say: Come <\/span>and recruit them but look at their micro-credentials rather than whether they have a formal four-year bachelor\u2019s degree.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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