Microcredential courses meet the demand for shorter-form courses that enable workers to quickly upskill or reskill in a rapidly changing job market and aid learners in pursuit of employment or higher qualifications. The aim of the MicroCred Seeker website is to create a user-friendly, nationally consistent platform for students to allow them to easily compare microcredential courses.
To inform the design of the platform and functionality, the Australian Government Department of Education conducted user research with a variety of learners, tertiary education providers and employers. This research highlighted the lack of a national framework as a key barrier to the development and delivery of microcredentials in Australia.
Released in March 2022, the National Microcredentials Framework (the Framework) aims to provide greater clarity amongst the higher education sector and learners regarding the value, structure and recognition of microcredentials to maximise transparency and consistency. The Framework was developed by PricewaterhouseCoopers in consultation with the Microcredentials Working Group, chaired by Emeritus Professor Beverley Oliver. This group had representatives from the Higher Education, Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Industry sectors. The Framework underpins the content of this website and has been developed so it could be easily expanded across the entire tertiary sector. The content of the Framework underpins the design of this website. It is expected that over time more microcredentials will be listed from a variety of sources and credit pathways clearly established and displayed for eligible courses.