- These courses are open to everyone. No prior qualification is required: they are aimed at adults with or without a higher education degree. They are also flexible and short. The shortest courses last only 25 hours. The longest, 375.
- Committed to quality. Microcredentials are taught at Catalan universities, which also issue their certificates. It's an academic training that also promotes the transfer of knowledge from the classroom to the socioeconomic fabric.
- Tailor-made studies. Microcredentials are courses designed to meet the current and future training demands of various productive and social sectors.
- Opportunity to choose your path. Microcredentials are stackable, allowing you to design a personalized training path for your professional growth.
- Generation of a digital certificate. You will receive certification of the skills acquired in a secure, verifiable, and European-level digital format.
Masters and postgraduate degrees
Returning to school after 40: Why and what are your options?
Constant innovations in professional sectors and changes in the labor market require knowledge retraining and specialization. Universities have adapted with an ever-increasing offering of diplomas and microcredentials.
03/05/2025
3 min
A five-evening course on pedagogical approach in the field of nursing at the University of Lleida. A short training capsule on basic electromobility concepts at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. Another option—this one online—to specialize in pruning and driving systems at the Rovira i Virgili University. These are just three of the options listed in the catalog of microcredential training offerings prepared by the Department of Research and Universities. It's a new concept, but one that is gaining traction at all universities in the country. Microcredentials are certifications that validate the learning outcomes obtained in short-term training experiences, such as a short course or training program.
"They offer a flexible and personalized way to help people acquire the knowledge, skills, and competencies they need for personal and professional development quickly and efficiently," summarizes the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia) in an article promoting microcredentials. Although the Council of the European Union issued a recommendation to member states in 2022 to promote these types of specialized courses, it has only recently gained momentum. The University of Barcelona, for example, announced last summer that it was preparing to implement 1,100 microcredentials. Today, they can be taken at almost all universities in the country.
"It's a shorter, more focused training program compared to traditional bachelor's or master's degrees, and is designed for students and professionals who want to acquire specific knowledge quickly," explains the University of Vic-CC. "It allows them to update and improve their learning of skills, competencies, and knowledge necessary in the workplace," adds the University of Girona, which also promotes several microcredentials. With this objective in mind, microcredentials are becoming one of the main gateways back to university classrooms for people over 40.
Again, in class
"Over the last decade, we've seen a growing demand from students over 40 for retraining," analyzes Paqui Blánquez, director of the School of Continuing Education at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, when asked by ARA. In the early years, this was especially noticeable in master's degrees, because there wasn't yet a sufficiently developed offering tailored to the specific needs of this group: recycling knowledge, adapting to new developments in each discipline, or seeking professional reorientation. "We see this a lot among young people: they're increasingly seeing that they won't have the same stable job their entire lives, but will have to constantly adapt," Blánquez adds.
Today, one in five master's students in the Catalan university system is over 40 years old, according to data from Idescat. However, a new opportunity to enter the classroom is now opening up for them through microcredentials. The goal is to adapt to the changing demands of the labor market, technological developments, and industry trends.
A specific plan and aid
Coinciding with the rise of microcredentials, the government has recently presented the Microcreds.cat plan to continue promoting them. "It aims to create a robust and widespread network of lifelong learning, with a regional perspective and linked to the productive fabric," explained Núria Montserrat, Minister of Research and Universities, during a conference organized by the Barcelona Provincial Council. In fact, ongoing dialogue with the business world is one of the cornerstones that will determine the success of the commitment to microcredentials. "Companies and even associations tell us their needs when it comes to attracting new talent, and we can prepare a tailored course for them from the university," confirms Blánquez, from the School of Continuing Education.
In addition to the plan to roll out microcredentials in Catalonia, students can do so at a reduced price. The studies are financed with Next Generation public funds, which subsidize 70% of the training program fee for those between 25 and 64 years of age. Students only have to pay 30%.
Microcredentials: 5 key concepts to understand what they are and how they work
