QQI presents at Micro-credentials Masterclass 2025, Zagreb, Croatia

The Knowledge Innovation Centre hosted the Micro-credentials Masterclass 2025 in Zagreb on March 18th-20th. The Masterclass unites education practitioners, policymakers, stakeholders, and other experts in the industry working on state-of-the-art personalised learning and career pathways.

The Minister for State for Croatia emphasised the role of micro-credentials in upskilling and reskilling workers, especially in the case of low unemployment and with changing demographics. There was a focus on the reduced number of young people and the associated impact on the traditional talent pipeline from school into vocational and academic education. There will be a need to future proof the labour market and micro-credentials are a potential solution but that the quality of programmes is a key challenge.

Órla Barry presented the work of QQI in this area by exploring the role of qualifications frameworks and existing approaches to quality assurance to build trust in micro-credentials. The presentation was prepared jointly with Peter Cullen and Roisín Morris-Drennan and draws on the content of the Green Paper on Micro-credentials which is due to be published later this year.

The presentation was well received and participants were particularly complimentary of QQIs focus on looking after learner interests and our commitment to reviewing and updating the NFQ to respond to a changing education and training landscape. The approach to credit accumulation outlined in the Green Paper for a Revised ATP policy was considered as a possible blue print for other European countries to learn from.

Other relevant updates from the Masterclass include:

• pilot projects using Europass to issue microcredentials
• an update from EQAR about the publication of microcredentials in DEQAR
• an introduction to using inclusive learner design for microcredentials by UL
• the possibilities of micro-credentials to contribute to micro-pathways offering greater choice and opportunities for learners
• an introduction to the World Alliance for Microcredentials Foundation