Objectives of the Microcredentials Plan: promoting Education and Social Inclusion

The Microcreds Plan is an initiative driven by the Ministry of Universities, led by Minister Joan Subirats, and it has the support of the European Union. The Minister of Universities, along with Antón Costas, President of the Economic and Social Council of Spain, Eva Alcón, President of Crue Spanish Universities, and Jaume Blasco, Advisor to the Minister of Universities, presented this plan, endowed with a fund of 50 million euros, in June 2023.

The Microcreds Plan aims to promote social inclusion through the development of microcredentials, a lifelong learning system that allows students to obtain certifications and recognition for specific skills and knowledge.

Origin of the Microcreds Plan

The Microcreds Plan emerges as a response to the need to adapt higher education to the challenges of the current world, characterized by a constantly evolving job market and a growing demand for specialized skills and knowledge.

Thus, the Microcreds Plan is part of Spain's Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan and is financed by the NextGenerationEU program of the European Union. Its main objective is to promote continuous training and lifelong learning.

What are the objectives of the Microcreds Plan?

The main objective of the Microcreds Plan is to promote social inclusion through education, providing students with flexible training tailored to their needs and abilities. To achieve this, the Microcreds Plan focuses on the following areas:

Developing microcredentials:

The Microcreds Plan seeks to encourage the creation and development of microcredentials as a lifelong learning tool. Microcredentials allow students to obtain recognition and certifications for specific skills and knowledge, facilitating access to the job market and enabling individuals to adapt to its demands.

Benefiting more people:

The Microcreds Plan aims to provide educational support to a broad range of individuals, thereby strengthening its impact on society. It aims to offer training that impacts people's lives and enables them to access greater opportunities. Specifically, it seeks to ensure the right to education for all adults and individuals in vulnerable situations.

Empowering lifelong learning:

The Microcreds Plan aims to promote continuous training and lifelong learning. This allows students to update and expand their skills and knowledge as the job market evolves.

Offering a flexible format:

The Microcreds Plan adapts to the needs of students, offering flexible training that allows them to combine their studies with other activities and responsibilities.

Target Population of the Microcreds Plan

The Microcreds Plan targets the entire population, especially those who have prematurely dropped out of their studies or are in situations of social and economic vulnerability. Thus, the Microcreds Plan seeks to promote equal opportunities and social inclusion through education. It also has a special focus on adults and professionals with work experience.

In this regard, the Microcreds Plan is part of the Organic Law of the University System, which establishes the right to higher education and the obligation of the State to guarantee access to it under equal conditions. Additionally, this law aims to promote lifelong learning for all ages.

Development of Microcredentials

The development of microcredentials is one of the main objectives of the Microcreds Plan. Microcredentials allow students to obtain recognition and certifications for specific skills and knowledge, facilitating access to the job market and enabling individuals to adapt to its demands.

In this sense, the Microcreds Plan has an action plan that includes 41 measures for the development of microcredentials and their implementation in the Spanish education system. The fund for the development of microcredentials in the period 2024-2026 will be allocated to the production of microcredentials, scholarships and grants, and the organization of activities to facilitate collaboration between educational institutions and productive sectors.

The Microcreds Plan seeks to promote collaboration between various universities for the development of microcredentials. It also aims to encourage greater collaboration between businesses, universities, social entities, and public administrations. This aims to close gaps between academia and the job market and respond to the real needs of the environment.

In conclusion, the Microcreds Plan is an initiative aimed at promoting education and social inclusion through the development of microcredentials and lifelong learning. With an investment of 50 million euros, the Microcreds Plan represents a significant step in adapting higher education to the challenges of the current world. It also promotes equal opportunities and social inclusion in Spain.