Enhanced Micro-credential Portal helps individuals unlock their career potential, helps organizations upskill their talent 

The rapidly evolving requirements of most jobs today create challenges for both employers and employees, demanding a near-constant reskilling and upskilling of capabilities. Where once a career might have been a relatively static life-long utilization of existing skills, today’s workplace demands life-long learning, the ongoing acquisition of new competencies, and the regular mastery of hard skills, soft skills and new technologies. 

Canadian businesses that commonly experience recruitment difficulties and skills gaps may have to forego opportunities for growth while experiencing reduced productivity. The extent of the challenge is not to be underestimated: A November 2022 survey on workers’ skills by Statistics Canada reported 44.5 percent of companies have difficulty finding candidates with necessary skills, while 56.1 percent report that employees often do not have adequate skills to do their job. 

For employees, the situation is equally critical. A lack of appropriate skills erects barriers to promotion and new opportunities and can even lead to redundancy in a current position that demands a new set of skills. 

eCampusOntario, the organization that drives digital teaching and learning at Ontario’s colleges, universities and Indigenous institutes has long recognized that learning is not limited to fixed periods of formal education. Through its Micro-credential Portal, eCampusOntario helps learners at all stages of education and career progression develop the most relevant and in-demand skills and competencies through fast, accessible and affordable education. Micro-credentials also help organizations seeking critical skillsets train current and future employees. 

Now eCampusOntario has enhanced its popular Micro-credential Portal to help job seekers and workers improve their career prospects through personalized, skills-based pathways to new capabilities and in-demand jobs. Based on the past or current job title entered, the system recognizes an individual’s skills set and compares this to an inventory of micro-credentials offered by Ontario’s publicly-assisted colleges, universities and Indigenous institutes. The system also flags which micro-credentials fit with high-demand careers and sectors. Through automation, the portal presents the individual with a personalized portfolio of near-match, skills-based micro-credentials and, by extension, career possibilities. 

Individuals see a selection of short-duration learning pathways that will accelerate their learning journey to the new career. eCampusOntario supports the curated selection of fast, affordable and flexible training opportunities from nearly 2,000 short-duration micro-credentials designed by higher education institutions across the province, catalogued in the eCampusOntario Micro-credential portal. 

Powered by a new partnership with the Conference Board of Canada and funded by Future Skills, these enhancements to the Micro-credential Portal are available to all Ontarians to help them unlock their potential and accelerate the development of talent needed by employers. 

Today’s knowledge-based economy, with its rapid pace of change, rewards employees who can adapt and acquire new skills. At the same time, it provides exciting growth opportunities for employers who can secure a well-skilled workforce. The enhanced Micro-credential Portal from eCampusOntario brings these two urgent requirements together. For more information, please visit: https://microlearnontario.ca/