A4L: Micro-credentials: A New Era of Lifelong Learning in Alliance4Life
One of the highlights of the Alliance4Life Community Meeting 2025 was a dedicated session on micro-credentials.
MU micro-credential system inspires the world
MU’s experience in introducing micro-credentials, implementing lifelong learning and its unique technical solutions is sought after by European and Asian universities.
Universities in Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Spain, France, Norway and even in countries such as Laos and Vietnam have already received information about the unified system for verifying micro-credentials that was set up at Masaryk University less than a year ago.
The national framework, unique in Europe and jointly developed by Czech universities, is designed to ensure that micro-credentials issued for selected professional courses meet the standards recommended by the European Commission. These electronic certificates provide evidence of acquired skills and are internationally understood and recognised on the Czech and international labour markets. For this reason, the verification system on the website microcertifikat.cz is linked to the Europass platform. “The institution connected to the verification system sends the data necessary for issuing the micro-credential to MU. The system creates an electronic record and returns the certificate, link and file for micro-credential verification. Through this link or file it will be possible to view all the data about the graduate, the course and the knowledge and skills acquired,” said Tomáš Chaloupka, MU lifelong learning specialist, explaining how the system works.
The verification system website and all information about micro-credentials at MU is also available in English. “Colleagues from the University of Pest have expressed an interest in connecting to the system developed at Masaryk University. However, we have agreed with Charles University and Palacký University Olomouc, our main partners in the national micro-credential framework, that we will consider similar requests very carefully. The reason for this is to ensure a certain level of quality of the micro-credentials issued,” explained Svatava Kalná, head of MU’s Lifelong Learning Division, adding that the process of connecting other institutions is underway.
They are interested not only in the technical solution, but also in the analysis of international experience with lifelong learning and the completely new approach to organising lifelong learning at Masaryk University. One example is the MICRO4ASIA project, in which an ECON MUNI team is preparing a training programme for university teachers from Laos and Vietnam. Through this programme, they will learn how to design and implement a micro-credential system in line with European standards.
Lifelong learning and micro-credentials are also the subject of research alliances. CEITEC MU is the coordinator of the international Alliance4Life grouping, which also asked MU for a detailed presentation of the system. “We discussed the possibility of implementing a similar system at other partner institutions within the research alliance. However, we have encountered complications, particularly in medicine and biomedicine, where lifelong learning is subject to different regulations in different countries. We will therefore seek a solution that allows medical schools to participate in lifelong learning by offering internationally recognised micro-credentials,” added Nikola Kostlánová, Research Secretary at CEITEC MU.
This article was published in M Magazine, April 2025
