The initiative aims to assist Malaysians to obtain stackable certifications through short-term and personalised learning pathways

by AZALEA AZUAR / pic by MUHD AMIN NAHARUL

THE Human Resource Development Corp (HRD Corp), an agency under the Human Resources Ministry (MoHR), has partnered the Higher Education Ministry (MoHE) to launch the nation’s first micro-credential initiative.

The initiative aims to assist Malaysians to obtain stackable certifications through short-term and personalised learning pathways.

The Malaysian Qualifications Agency and the Department of Skills Development will be setting the guidelines for the micro-credentials and this programme aims to create 50,000 micro-credential training places for Malaysians by the end of 2022.

With more than 10,000 courses across 24 skill areas, the programme is Malaysia’s largest repository of courses and is expected to facilitate more than three million micro-credential training places within the next five years.

All these will be done through a combination of courses offered by training providers, industry players, professional bodies and higher learning institutions.

At the same time, all courses that have been registered under HRD Corp will be transformed into micro-credential courses by June 2022 but there will be exemptions for certain training programmes based on course structure.

HRD Corp CEO Datuk Shahul Dawood said micro-credentials have multifaceted benefits towards not only employees and employers, but the industry and nation.

“We hope this initiative will provide more opportunities for Malaysians to learn and grow within their respective industries regardless of their education, experience and career trajectories.

“We also hope that employers will recognise the value that micro-credential can bring to their employees’ upskilling efforts and will therefore encourage more of them to sign up for micro-credential courses in the coming year,” he said during the launch yesterday.

Also present were MoHR Minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan and MoHE Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad.

Saravanan said this initiative supports his ministry’s vision of enabling Malaysian talents to embrace lifelong learning and embark on continuous professional skills development.

“The acceleration of digital transformation in Malaysia and around the world has opened up opportunities for anyone to upskill and embrace non-traditional career pathways and trajectories.

“Therefore, it is important that we offer Malaysians the flexibility and ability to learn and obtain formal qualifications in ways that are best suited to their needs, skills and experience,” he said.

On the other hand, Noraini believed that the initiative can connect higher learning institutions to industry players in Malaysia.

“This can empower our talents to take charge of their career paths, support tertiary education institutions to develop graduates that meet industry expectations, and eventually address the critical skill gaps in Malaysia,” she said.