NUC develops guidelines on micro-credentials to bridge skills gaps, boost employability

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has commenced the development of national guidelines on micro-credentials for Nigerian universities to promote flexible learning, bridge skills gaps and strengthen graduates’ employability.

The guidelines are expected to provide a uniform framework for the design, delivery, assessment, certification and recognition of short, skills-focused learning programmes across the Nigerian university system.

Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, stated this while flagging off a two-day committee meeting to review the draft National Guidelines on Micro-Credentials in Nigeria, organised by the commission in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) in Abuja.

Micro-credentials are short, specialised learning programmes that provide formal recognition of specific skills, knowledge and competencies acquired in a particular field.

They are often delivered online or through blended learning arrangements, allowing students, graduates and working professionals to acquire new skills or update existing ones without necessarily enrolling in full degree programmes.

Ribadu charged members of the committee to ensure that the guidelines clearly establish micro-credentials as complementary learning pathways rather than replacements for conventional university degree programmes.

He explained that micro-credentials would expand access to learning, support skills acquisition and development, and strengthen the relationship between higher education and the world of work.

According to him, the National Micro-Credentials Framework for Nigeria, developed through consultations involving academics, industry leaders, policymakers and other stakeholders, has provided the foundation for the guidelines.

He said the next step was to translate the framework’s broad principles into practical procedures that universities and other stakeholders could implement.

Ribadu noted that the guidelines would establish clear and standardised requirements for quality assurance and accreditation, credit values and the accumulation of credits, industry collaboration, governance and digital infrastructure.

He emphasised the importance of ensuring that micro-credentials remained relevant to the rapidly changing global labour market, where emerging technologies and evolving workplace demands require continuous learning and skills development.

The NUC executive secretary commended the Commonwealth of Learning, participating institutions, technical working groups and Commission staff for their contributions to developing the draft framework.

He urged committee members to engage in frank and constructive deliberations to ensure that the final guidelines reflected the country’s educational priorities, industry needs and national development objectives.

Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Uduma Oji Uduma, represented by Professor Emeka Ogoko, said the committee was established to advance the collaborative development of the guidelines.

He explained that micro-credentials would provide a complementary mechanism for delivering short-term, outcome-based learning programmes designed to equip learners with specific skills and competencies.

Similarly, the Vice-Chancellor of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Professor Razaq Olatunde Rom Kalilu, represented by Dr Mary Abosede Adeoye, called for careful consideration of the draft guidelines to ensure their consistency with the National Micro-Credentials Framework and the National Policy on Education.

He stressed the need to align the guidelines with existing qualification structures and the NUC’s regulatory responsibilities to ensure effective implementation across Nigerian universities.

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Earlier, the NUC Director of Open, Distance and e-Learning, Dr. Funmilayo Morebise, said changing labour-market demands, emerging technologies and evolving skills requirements had increased the need for flexible, competency-based and lifelong learning opportunities within the Nigerian higher education system.

She explained that micro-credentials enable learners to demonstrate specific knowledge, skills and competencies acquired through short, focused and outcome-oriented learning programmes.

Morebise said the national framework established the foundation for defining, recognising and assuring the quality of micro-credentials, including their credit structures, assessment procedures, digital certification, credit transfer and accumulation.

She added that the guidelines were designed to translate the framework into practical institutional requirements, promote consistency in programme design and assessment, and ensure that micro-credentials responded to industry, professional and societal needs.

The guidelines would also help protect learners by promoting transparent information, safeguarding institutional integrity and strengthening regulatory oversight.