Education microcredentials will support in demand careers, Minister Jason Clare says

The Albanese Government will support the design and delivery of up to 28 microcredential courses from 18 universities to help meet skills needs in priority industries and sectors, including education. 

A total of $18.5 million will be provided to support the development of the courses in priority areas including IT, engineering, science, health, and education.

Microcredentials are short, focused courses in a specific area of study, designed to teach and upskill learners with targeted, job-relevant skills. 

Although none of the courses are early childhood education specific, there are broader education courses which may be of interest to those working in the sector. The 28 courses were selected from more than 90 applications to the first round of the Government’s Microcredentials Pilot in Higher Education program.

The Pilot program is part of the Government’s broader efforts to promote microcredentials, including the MicroCred Seeker platform launched in December 2022.

MicroCred Seeker features 425 microcredential courses from 56 registered providers, enabling Australians to search and compare courses that align with their career goals.

The Government will now engage with the 18 successful universities to finalise conditions of grant arrangements. A second round of funding is planned within the next 12 months, which will allow for more higher education providers to apply to participate in the Pilot.

Microcredentials Pilot in Higher Education recipients are listed below: 

• Australian Catholic University: Maths iSTEM, Science iSTEM, Phonics: Theory, research, differentiated instruction, and assessment

• Central Queensland University: Food Science: Fermentation for Food and Beverage Product Development

• Charles Darwin University: The Pedagogy of Indigenous Knowledge Sharing through Creative and Cultural Practices, Fundamentals of Nuclear Science and Safety

• Curtin University: Net Zero Engineering Fundamentals, Infonet Security

• La Trobe University: Professional Certificate in Rural Nursing

• Murdoch University: Certificate in Strategic Decarbonisation Management

• Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University): Cyber Security Foundations for Business Professionals

• Southern Cross University: Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching Mathematics for Out-Of-Field Teachers

• The University of Western Australia: Einsteinian Physics for School Teachers, Using R: Environmental and Agriculture Applications

• University of Canberra: Professional Certificate in Education (Adaptive Educational Leadership), Professional Certificate in Education (Science of Learning), Professional Certificate in Education (Middle School Leadership)

• University of New South Wales: Hydrogen Production for Electrical Engineers

• University of South Australia: Professional Certificate in IT and Cloud Fundamentals

• University of Southern Queensland: Drone Mapping and Navigation Systems, GIS for Professionals

• University of Tasmania: Timber Design for Residential Construction, Cyber Security for Digital Health, Digital Management for Health and Social Care

• University of Technology Sydney: Building Information Modelling (BIM) course

• University of the Sunshine Coast: Inclusive Digital Design for Business

• Western Sydney University: Applied Disease Outbreak Management, Foundations of Environmental Sustainability.