Micro-credentials for megatrends: Nordic and German approaches

• Author: Sara Pasino

Demographic imbalances, a shifting labour market, climate change and societal divisions – these are just a few of the challenges European societies have been facing in recent years. While experts agree there’s no single solution to these issues, the Nordic countries and Germany are placing their bets on education, particularly through the development of micro-credentials in adult education and lifelong learning. 

The potential of micro-credentials has been the topic of discussions among adult educators, researchers and policymakers in Europe for quite some time. Officially, the Council of the European Union (EU) adopted a recommendation on this concept in 2022, with the aim of supporting the development, implementation and recognition of micro-credentials in the union. 

The EU defines micro-credentials as qualifications that "certify the learning outcomes of short-term learning experiences," shifting the focus from formal education to skills and competences that adult learners can develop in their personal and professional lives, including through non-formal and informal education. 

Despite many adult educators and experts advocating for the benefits of micro-credentials, not all countries are well-prepared to implement and introduce the concept. Even Northern European countries, which often lead in adult education, are facing some challenges. 

Shifting the focus from formal education to skills helps develop personal and professional lives.

We spoke to researchers from the Nordic Network for Lifelong Learning (NLL) and the German Institute for Adult Education to find out how the Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the self-governing regions of the Faroe Islands, Greenland and the Åland Islands – and Germany are implementing the EU recommendation on micro-credentials.

None of the areas mentioned have officially introduced micro-credentials into their national educational systems yet. Dr. Anne Strauch, Deputy Head of Department at the German Institute for Adult Education (DIE), tells us that in Germany, the concept of micro-credentials is not widely applied or uniformly understood. 

"Micro-credentials have so far been systematically implemented primarily in higher education. However, they are gaining increasing attention in vocational and adult education," she explains. 

In the Nordic countries, "there are definitely some examples of micro-credentials being used, although they have not been recognised as such yet," says Bodil Lomholt Husted, former associate professor at VIA University College in Denmark. 

"We often view learners as the primary beneficiaries, but we can broaden the scope to include employers, companies, and society at large," says Bodil Lomholt Husted.

"We view learners as the primary beneficiaries, but we can broaden the scope to include employers, companies and society," says Bodil Lomholt Husted.

She has recently conducted a research project on micro-credentials in the Nordic countries and self-governing regions in 2023-25 to identify and analyse the occurrence and proliferation of micro-credentials in a variety of formats, sectors and learning context. Her research focused on mapping the current situation in the region to also identify the advantages of micro-credentials and the challenges Nordic countries are grappling with. 

"Our area boasts a robust educational system, which is free and has undoubtedly led to some remarkable successful stories regarding micro-credentials – even though most countries don’t actually refer to their courses in this way," Lomholt Husted explains. 

Who benefits from micro-credentials?

The research team hasn’t directly spoken to participants of short-term and flexible courses in the Nordic countries, but they’ve gathered insights from adult educators and other stakeholders. 

"It's clear that micro-credentials can be incredibly beneficial for everyone involved. Specifically, many learners have expressed the sheer joy of learning. One of the most fascinating aspects of the projects we’ve analysed is that learners genuinely felt valued because someone recognised their competence and acknowledged their previous and existing skills," says Lomholt Husted.

Learners felt valued when someone recognised their competence and acknowledged their skills.

Allowing learners to take short courses and earn certificates is a savvy response to the ever-evolving modern labour market, where workers frequently need to acquire new skills or switch roles. 

"The flexibility that micro-credentials offer is a tremendous advantage, as it enables workers to upskill swiftly and in a targeted manner to advance their professional development," says Strauch. 

One of the most intriguing aspects of the research on micro-credentials is their multifaceted benefits. 

"We often view learners as the primary beneficiaries, and while it's crucial to focus on them – micro-credentials are undoubtedly advantageous for them – we can broaden the scope to include employers, companies, and society at large," explains Lomholt Husted.

She mentions a pilot project on micro-credentials in Skellefteå, Sweden, aimed at teaching Swedish to migrants working as elderly care assistants. 

"Employees greatly benefited from this, as they developed essential job skills, improved their communication abilities and boosted their self-esteem and sense of empowerment upon completing the courses. This not only helped them retain their jobs but also enhanced their everyday lives."

Another group of beneficiaries were the elderly care residents, she continues. "The residents are often in a more vulnerable position, but in this case, they felt at ease communicating with the staff. The municipality and the elderly care sector also reaped rewards, as they managed to develop staff flexibly, satisfy their residents and test an educational model for upskilling employees," says Lomholt Husted. 

Micro-credentials tackling megatrends 

Broadening the pool of end-users for micro-credentials not only helps to fully realise their benefits but also provides effective educational tools to address the major trends and challenges faced by many Nordic countries and Germany.

For example, in Denmark, the National Emergency Association has started offering a variety of short courses to equip citizens to handle crises and emergency situations. 

"We’ve observed that micro-credentials have become incredibly useful in addressing the widespread need in many 'Nordic countries to tackle geopolitical and global challenges that often leave us feeling powerless," says Lomholt Husted. 

In Denmark, these courses are conducted within local communities with support from municipal departments and organisations like Technical Administration and local fire stations. The courses, which are free and not all of which issue credentials, typically last a couple of hours and often include handout security plans for individuals, families and local communities.

The Greenland case

Another major challenge that Nordic countries are facing is the demographic issue of record-low birth rates and an ageing population. A 2024 report by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council revealed that in 2022, the number of deaths in the region exceeded the number of births for the first time. 

"In Greenland, for example, there is a striking imbalance between generations," notes Lomholt Husted. 

She explains that while many highly qualified individuals are retiring, a significant number of young people are dropping out of school or are not in employment or education. "This is why the government of Greenland developed a micro-credentials course in collaboration with labour market representatives and vocational educators to create a wider range of opportunities for young people to develop their skills and keep them in education."

The courses begin by identifying young people’s skills, followed by filling out a "validation sheet" to map out the student-teacher dialogue and assist students with networking. The validation sheets not only help students develop skills for job placement but also qualify them for access to relevant vocational education, paving the way for continuing education.

Ensuring that micro-credentials can be used both in the labour market and for continuing education is crucial for countries and policymakers to maximise the benefits of this educational system. The success of such programmes often hinges on collaboration among various educational stakeholders.

The importance of collaboration

"I believe collaboration and dialogue are the main aspects we should focus on in Germany when it comes to micro-credentials," agrees Strauch. In 2025, the German national continual educational strategy issued a report that called for a structured introduction of micro-credentials and "this means building a national network with quality standards, clear recognition of educational pathways and alignment with the European approach," continues Strauch. 

To address this need, the German Institute for Adult Education launched the TrainSpot project from 2021 to 2025. This initiative aimed to connect trainers and providers of labour market training courses with continuing educators. The goal was to make qualification opportunities for educators in adult and continuing education accessible through the National Education Platform and to create personalised learning paths that could be completed using hybrid curricula.

TrainSpot aims to use micro-credentials as badges to recognise the skills of adult educators. While the concept is commendable, Germany and many Nordic countries face challenges in the practical implementation of micro-credentials.

The main issues with this project and others that depend on micro-credentials are quality assurance and stackability. Ensuring that learning outcomes are transparent, high-quality and standardised across countries is a significant challenge, particularly for non-formal and informal education.

Ensuring transparent and standardised learning outcomes is challenging.

Lomholt Husted's investigation has highlighted a significant issue faced by many Nordic countries. While the idea of enabling learners to acquire new skills efficiently is admirable, there is a major limitation: the absence of a national system to recognise and store these credentials. 

An inspiration could come from Denmark, which has developed a national system for the validation of prior learning (VPL), although this is limited to formal education. Both Lomholt Husted and Strauch agree that their regions need recognised systems to validate micro-credentials in non-formal and informal learning.

Strauch believes the process should be bottom-up. "However, a broader strategy from policymakers is essential to ensure the right conditions for implementing micro-credentials in Germany. Preparing the educational system for recognising micro-credentials is easier said than done. Technical support is needed to facilitate this shift, including individuals who can create digital wallets to store these badges or credentials, operate them, and provide support for learners," she continues. 

This aligns with the situation in the Nordic countries. The NLL investigation has also underscored the importance of focusing on the learner. "Adult learners often aren't sure which skills they need or which courses to take, so investing in counselling is crucial to ensure they feel supported every step of the way," says Lomholt Husted.

Continuous counselling is essential for learners.

But in order to achieve these, funding is essential. Both the Nordic region and Germany have the backing of policymakers: the NLL investigation was financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers and Strauch notes there is no political resistance to the concept of micro-credentials. At the German Institute for Adult Education, a network of key actors, including academia, research, adult educators and policymakers, has recently been established. 

"The aim is to foster dialogue among various stakeholders to collaboratively develop a joint strategy paper to recommend how to develop a structured and coordinated approach for micro-credentials in Germany, focusing on quality standards, recognition and stackability across different sectors," says Strauch. 

On the other hand, there is still a need for funding, particularly for research in the Nordic countries and Germany. 

"The reality is that we lack sufficient research on micro-credentials in general. For instance, while we recognise the need to use micro-credentials to make adult education more inclusive, we don't have enough data and studies to demonstrate the impact of such courses. Similarly, there are gaps in information and research regarding the stackability and standardisation of these credentials," concludes Strauch.