The use of micro-credentials for lifelong learning will help Moldovans to adapt to the changing world of work

Micro-credentials are a set of learning outcomes acquired within a short timeframe, typically through a short course or training. They offer a flexible, targeted way to help people develop the knowledge, skills and competences they need for their personal and professional development.  Micro-credentials are designed to be accessible, flexible and of short duration, allowing the workforce to quickly improve or develop certain skills for updating, upskilling and re-orienting their professional profiles.

The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Education and Research (MER),  the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection (MLSP), the National Employment Agency (NEA), the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education and Research (ANACEC), VET institutions, Centres of Excellence, the National Confederation of Employers, the National Confederation of Trade Unions, the Association Education for Development (AED), as well as representatives of other relevant organizations.

Galina Rusu, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Research, mentioned that the introduction of micro-credentials for lifelong learning will be a milestone for enabling employees and job seekers in the Republic of Moldova to adapt better to the ever-changing skills needs of the world of work. 

"The expertise of the International Labor Organization will be of real use to us in order to fully capitalize on the advantages of this approach and implement them in our country in the shortest possible time, so that the population can benefit from a better quality of professional and vocational training, which will respond to the requirements of the labour market", stated Galina Rusu.

During the workshop, the international experience regarding the opportunities to implement the micro-credentials for lifelong learning was analysed. Mary Lyons, Director of the State Agency for Continuous Vocational Education and Training of Ireland and Heli Mattisen, the Head of the Agency for the Quality of Education of Estonia, presented their countries' experience and perspectives on how to use of micro-credentials for the upskilling and re-training of adult workers. Anastasia Pouliou from the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) spoke to the audience about the value of micro-credentials for the labour market, the regulatory framework and quality assurance in the process of micro-credentials implementation.

Workshop participants analysed the pre-requisites, requirements and standards needed to ensure transparency, comparability, recognition, and implementation of micro-credentials in the Republic of Moldova to achieve their purpose and discussed options for initiating the use of Microcredentials in the country.

Guided by the ILO experts Alessandra Molz and Pedro Moreno da Fonseca, based on a comparative analysis of different approaches at country level, the workshop participants discussed the particularities of introducing micro-credentials in vocational education in the Republic of Moldova, as a defining element of a complex and effective lifelong learning system.

Violeta Vrabie, ILO project coordinator, email: vrabie@ilo.org, tel.: + (373) 78 11 33 90