Micro-Credentials: Contributing To The Future Of Upskilling And Employee Learning

Taking advantage of new learning opportunities

In an industry where so many skilled workers are needed, badges, micro-credentials, and industry certifications can help current information technology (IT) employees upskill quickly in areas the industry needs most, such as cybersecurity. 

Badges and micro-credentials help employees highlight the skills gained through different types of learning opportunities, like courses or certificate programs. These tech workers may already have a degree or are not interested in getting a degree yet, but need to build additional skills to keep up with changes to their role or prepare for another role. 

Taking advantage of these learning opportunities also demonstrates a desire to learn, which is something sought after in any market. This is especially true in IT given how quickly the industry changes and how much employers need to keep up with those changes.  

Earning badges, micro-credentials and/or certifications, allow employees to showcase those new skills to current and future employers, and allows employers to target employees with specific skills. One example is cloud migration. Many employers had to find a way to migrate their data to the cloud environment but may have found themselves in a position where their current employees lacked the skills necessary to get the job done. 

This meant they needed to hire new employees or train their current employees on a variety of skills related to cloud migration. Being able to search skills among current employees and quickly identify who possessed at least some of those skills would be critical. Further, if one is an employee, who has been working toward those in-demand skills and obtaining badges, micro-credentials or certifications means you can demonstrate that you already possess some or all of those skills.

Employees can build the specific skills they need as they prepare for their next career phase. A degree program can provide a wealth of both hard skills and soft skills. Badges and micro-credentials, however, have a specific focus on one skill or a series of related skills. For example, someone working in an Engineer 1 role in IT may want to transition to a role as a security analyst. 

A quick search of security analyst job postings will show in-demand skills include network security, risk analysis, and incident response. Completing coursework to obtain badges or micro-credentials in these areas builds off the current skillset and develops those targeted skills, which in turn can be added to a LinkedIn profile or resume to demonstrate readiness for a role in cybersecurity. 

Industry certifications like those offered by CompTIA, EC Council, and AWS provide industry validation of those skills.  Not only are industry certifications a great way to upskill, but they may also be a viable method to break into the industry, helping to solve the age-old problem of needing the experience to get a job and needing a job to get experience. That’s why the University of Phoenix has 50+ courses aligned to IT industry certifications, from entry-level to advanced. An individual pursuing a security analyst role may, for example, want to enroll in a Cybersecurity certificate program aligned to an industry certification in cybersecurity, like the CompTIA Security+. Completing the program and then pursuing and obtaining this industry certification and adding it to a LinkedIn profile and/or resume, validate the related skills in network security, risk analysis, and incident response.

Current tech workers can elevate themselves in today’s market by pursuing a badge, micro-credential, or certification of their choosing, based on their personal career goals and interests. They are a great way to highlight special skills, demonstrate continuous learning, and differentiate oneself.  

Kathryn Uhles, Dean of the College of Business and Information Technology, has served University of Phoenix for over 16 years. Kathryn has a Master of Information Systems and a Master of Science in Psychology from University of Phoenix as well as a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Arizona State University.