The Higher Education Regional Alliance of Wisconsin (HERA) announced it has secured $1.5 million in federal funding to accelerate the development and implementation of new microcredential programs.
The funding will allow HERA, an alliance of 17 southeastern Wisconsin higher education institutions and partners, to develop at least 20 new priority microcredentials to serve 400-plus users during a one-year pilot phase in 2025, according to a press release issued Monday.
HERA and its member institutions will focus the effort on specific skills in high-demand, high-impact fields that are experiencing talent shortages in the region, the release states. Based on labor market data and input from employers, HERA identified priority areas such as information technology, including artificial intelligence and data analytics; health care; business; and education.
The funding comes through a Congressional Directed Spending allocation.
“HERA was founded with a belief that our region’s higher education institutions can accomplish more together than any one institution could do alone. Today, that belief in the power of collaboration has led to a significant milestone: a federal-level investment that will greatly increase our capacity to develop new microcredentials that support career advancement and economic growth in southeastern Wisconsin,” said Dr. Vicki Martin, chair of HERA and president of Milwaukee Area Technical College. “By developing flexible and affordable education options with a focus on high-demand, high-impact career fields, we will help more people in our region advance their careers.”
Often delivered online with flexible scheduling, microcredential courses focus the educational expertise of academic institutions into shorter, stackable, skills-based non-degree credentials, and can typically be completed in 2-4 months.
The bite-sized courses can be particularly relevant to current employees who are looking to learn new skills and advance their careers but are unable to return to school on a full-time basis, HERA states. They can also prove beneficial to employers, who must constantly train workers to meet the ever-changing challenges of today’s workplace to remain competitive.
Since 2021, the number of such non-degree credentials awarded by HERA institutions has grown by more than 36%. Last year, HERA launched a microcredential portal that brings together all offerings from HERA members.
The cost to develop new courses has been one of the main factors limiting additional expansion of microcredential offerings by HERA institutions. The additional funding will accelerate development of new microcredentials at HERA institutions. It will also allow HERA to increase its role as a “one-stop shop” for engaging with employers to further identify needs for additional skills and maintaining a centralized portal for users, the alliance said.
There will be modest course fees for users, and opportunities for employers and industries to fund additional microcredentials with more customized content.
“To maintain their competitive edge in a race that has no finish line, southeastern Wisconsin companies must ensure that their employees acquire the skills they need to meet tomorrow’s challenges,” said Joel Brennan, president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee and a member of HERA’s steering committee. “Microcredentials are one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to accomplish this, and HERA and its member institutions are best positioned to lead the way.”
