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The rise of micro credentials: What does it mean for business schools?
Business Schools
Micro-credentials are changing the way people learn, train and develop – and understandably so. These shorter, more focused courses are becoming increasingly valuable for students and learners, particularly in such a fast-paced world where speed and personalisation are key.
Offering micro-credentials not only ensures business schools are relevant for the companies and learners of today of today, but it also provides an opportunity to remain competitive and showcase the school’s cutting-edge research capabilities whilst offering a much-needed additional revenue stream. With the right model, micro-credentials can also provide those handling the customer relationship with another, often more regular, touchpoint, leading to greater insight into the needs of their customer base.
Clearly there’s a wealth of opportunities for schools in this landscape, but what does the rise of micro-credentials mean for business school hiring?
Everyone will feel the impact together
Traditionally, course changes have a prolonged impact on a business school, often hitting each department at different stages, starting with the product, data and programme researchers before rolling through to production and operations, then on to the marketing, and sales functions. However, the nature of micro-credentials means that every department will be feeling the pressure at once – or in very close proximity at least.
Sales and marketing teams are having to plan while the course is still being developed. That means that business schools – that usually hire at the tail-end of the course’s development – will need to start this process far earlier than they may have in the past. And those that are hired have to be ready to collaborate and hit the ground running quickly.
Communications a necessity
In a similar vein, the ability to communicate succinctly and with the right departments is only going to grow in importance. Crucially, this is an attribute that will be required beyond those roles where we would expect communication skills to be pertinent – marketing positions, for example.
If micro-credentials are to be the financial asset they can be for a business school, then every department must be closely aligned in order to keep the momentum going. New courses cannot be delayed due to a mis-communication between the product and production team, for example.
Regardless of the role or function an individual will be involved in; good communicators will be needed to keep a school competitive in the micro-credential evolution.
Disruptors and Innovators will be required
Given the nature of micro-credentials, schools will have to be more open to innovation and hiring distruptors. These courses are fundamentally different to the traditional, lengthier learning routes. That means how the programme is structured, delivered, marketed and managed has to be different.
In order to deliver against this, hiring individuals who are willing to challenge the norm and drive positive disruption could be a game changer. Of course, identifying these individuals isn’t always straightforward and can require an expert eye, schools should be looking beyond the usual routes for crucial resources.
It’s likely, for example, that we will see a growing number of business schools will turn their attentions to the private sector for professionals with highly sought after experience in marketing and customer research, product development, marketing and sales roles where diversity of thought will add significant value.
Where this is being implemented, employers will need to consider what ‘good’ looks like in these individuals. Yes, they must be willing and able to shake things up, but they also have to gel with the rest of the team, so cultural fit will become an increasingly important metric.
Relationships will be crucial
Having teams that can build and sustain strong customer relations is another evolution we expect to see as courses become shorter and individualised. Learners can accumulate several micro-credentials, in a more personalised way. This will alter the role of some of the sales and marketing teams who are often placing more of a focus on new leads, rather than engaging with alumni. The dial will need to shift to building stronger relationships with those who have already completed or are in the process of working towards micro-credentials, as they will likely provide the greatest sales opportunities for the immediate future.
Micro-credentials: the impact on business schools
The rise of micro-credentials is not a threat to business schools—it’s a pivotal opportunity. But it requires the right people to lead the charge. As learners seek more agile, practical, and affordable ways to advance their careers, the people developing, planning and marketing these programmes have to adapt their approach. The schools that build the best teams to embrace the micro-credential movement, adapt their models, and put learners’ needs first will not only survive this shift—they’ll lead it.
