Potential of Microcredentials in Southern Africa

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This capacity building in higher education (CBHE) project, a collaboration between Southern African and European universities and higher education councils, will systematically develop principles and policies for the recognition, quality assurance and regulation of microcredentials in Southern African countries. The global take-up of microcredentials has been slow and uneven, and while Southern African policymakers, including regional and national higher education qualifications and quality assurance councils, appreciate their potential to promote access, skills development and learner and worker mobility, they are concerned about issues of articulation, alignment, quality, equity and social justice. Emphasising European Commission priorities of digital transformation and the integration of migrants, as well as governance and sustainable growth, the project, located in Strand 2, aims to strengthen relationships between higher education and labour markets while enhancing higher education network and governance capacities. After examining the state of microcredential conceptualisation, policy development and implementation in Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia and South Africa, in both the public and private sectors, and through intra- and inter-regional consultations, the project will develop national concept papers for the systematic introduction of regional guidelines and policy frameworks on microcredentials. The ultimate aim of the project is to benefit the people and countries of the Southern African region, particularly but not only learners, employers and higher education institutions, entities and systems, by developing clear regulatory frameworks on, and a well-defined roadmap for, microcredentials.