Micro-credentials in higher education: perceived benefits for graduate employability and interest levels in micro-credentials for training employability skills
本研究通过雇主和学生调查，发现雇主视微证书为增加人力资本的手段，而学生更看重其身份资本和简历价值；双方对沟通和领导力培训兴趣浓厚。
The changing nature of education and work that demands more flexible, personalised, and manageable learning options has resulted in increased interest in micro-credentials for increasing employability. Higher education institutions have begun to consider whether to include micro-credentials as part of their offering. This study investigates two issues with regards to micro-credentials in higher education: ‘what are the perspectives of employers and students on the benefits of micro-credentials in higher education for increasing graduate employability?’, and ‘what is their level of interest in micro-credentials designed to train employability skills?’ Tomlinson, M. [2017. “Forms of Graduate Capital and Their Relationship to Graduate Employability.” Education+ Training 59 (4): 338–52]. graduate capital model is employed to analyse and discuss results from a student survey and an employer survey that yielded 213 and 83 responses, respectively. We found that employers tended to perceive micro-credentials primarily as a means to increase human capital, whereas students were more likely to view micro-credentials foremost as contributing to their identity capital and making them more unique in the labour market. The top benefit chosen by employers was ‘gaining new knowledge’, while for students it was ‘being useful for CVs’. Overall, students were more positive in evaluating the benefits of micro-credentials for graduate employability than employers were. When it came to interest levels in micro-credential offerings for training employability skills, both employers and students expressed high levels of interest in training for the skills of communication and leadership. The findings suggest that micro-credentials could be an effective vehicle for universities to enhance graduate employability and potentially serve as transferable qualifications to meet emerging skill needs.