While many of us regard higher education as essential for career success, in today’s fast-changing world, traditional degree and diploma programmes may not deliver results quickly enough to enhance job security or ensure a critical career advancement. Tertiary educational institutions are increasingly exploring new avenues to faster upskilling through stackable credentials. Known as micro-credentials, digital badges and nanodegrees, these short-term courses are enabling employees to dynamically progress in their careers and gain higher pay because they’re able to display their in-demand competencies in a much shorter time-frame.
Set in the context where lifelong learning is essential for business owners, managers and employees, SACAP (the South African College of Applied Psychology) has launched a new Global Division offering a range of micro-credentials and short courses. The courses are taught on the OpenLearning online platform, which enables SACAP Global to deliver engaging, transformative and certified educational experiences to learners worldwide. While SACAP Global has launched first in the Malaysian market where micro-credentials are particularly sought after, the courses are open to anyone in the world who is over 18 years, including South Africans.
“SACAP Global is primarily for working professionals who recognise the need for lifelong learning and are aiming to stay relevant in an ever-changing global economy,” says Debbie Hemp, SACAP’s Business Development Director. “Micro-credentials enable you to learn-on-the-go making it easier to study flexibly as a working person. Gaining in-demand skills positions you well to advance in your career or prepare yourself for a career shift. Through SACAP Global we can now directly help to meet the present and future demands of learners and employers.”
SACAP Global’s inaugural offering includes four micro-credentials and a short course within the Management & Leadership and Applied Psychology fields. The English language courses focus on communication, psychology, business management, human resources and coaching. By combining content knowledge and practical experience, SACAP Global micro credentials enable quick and direct application of skills in a current or future work environment. They are ideal for employees and business owners who need to gain in-demand skills, update their skills-sets and take their work performances to a higher level.
Karolyne Williams, SACAP Global’s Head of Strategic Innovation says, “These first courses reflect SACAP’s deep experience of teaching and learning in these areas of expertise, and we are looking forward to rolling out additional SACAP Global micro-credentials next year.”
The micro-credentials are six-week courses requiring a commitment of 10 to 13 hours of work each week, while the Coaching Skills for Managers short course takes place over 12 weeks. Students who complete all assignments and achieve an overall minimum grade of 50% or more receive a digital certificate. The new Global division reflects SACAP’s well-established ethos of taking a student-centred approach to learning. This is facilitated by OpenLearning’s social learning platform which enables students to actively engage in a like-minded community and course engagement is part of the summative assessment process. In addition, students are well-connected to SACAP Global’s Course Facilitators and Course Co-Ordinator.
Hemp concludes, “At SACAP we recognise that life-long learning is critical to career advancement and achieving personal aspirations. With our extensive experience in higher education and our understanding of working in a multicultural content, it is exciting to be presenting our interdisciplinary application of psychology and human-centric approach to learning on an international platform. We look forward to engaging with SACAP Global students and partnering with them on their journeys to greater fulfilment in their careers and personal lives.”