With more and more Canadians looking to colleges and institutes for upskilling and reskilling opportunities, microcredentials have never been in such high demand, or so important to Canada’s economy. They can be incredibly varied however, with different approaches and programs on offer across the country. That is why we launched a national framework on microcredentials in March to offer a standard definition and guiding principles to help educators create nimble and responsive microcredentials that meet high quality standards and help learners choose the right credential for them.
Initial work on the definition and the guiding principles was conducted by a special committee of Vice-Presidents, Academic, representing colleges and institutes from across Canada. After consulting with members, employers, and other stakeholders, a consensus was reached that is supported by all the regional associations representing colleges and institutes: Atlantic Colleges Atlantique, l’Association des collèges privés du Québec, BC Colleges, the British Columbia Association of Institutes and Universities, Colleges Ontario, the Council of Post-Secondary Presidents of Alberta (COPPOA) and the Fédération des cégeps, as well as regional representatives from Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories.