MRU Expands Micro-Credentials with Funding Boost from Province

Mount Royal University has received funding to develop three more micro-credentials.

Mount Royal University has received funding to develop three new micro-credentials as Alberta continues to expand options for people looking to upgrade their skills or embark on new careers.

“Micro-credentials empower Albertans to develop the job-ready skills they need to be successful and build new careers, while ensuring employers have access to the talent they need to grow their business,” said Demetrios Nicolaides, advanced education minister.

How do micro-credentials work?

Each micro-credential course comes with a digital badge that can be shared online so employers can verify the achievement. These badges contain secure, embedded data that verifies a credential, and that the holder can present as proof of a specific competency or skill. They can be shared on social media, attached to a resumé, or added to an email signature. Mount Royal’s digital badges are managed and verified through MyCreds.ca, Canada’s official credential wallet for post-secondary learners and graduates.

Check out MRU’s Faculty of Continuing Education and Extension newly funded programs receiving a total of $235,501 in development funding:

Supply Chain Resilience and Scope 3 Reporting

This course will start broadly defining concepts of supply chain resilience, life-cycle analysis, and circular economy. Strategic risk assessment tools include scenario analysis, simulation, and network analysis. Vulnerabilities in economic, environmental, and social (ESG) activities will be identified and thereby ladder on the existing Mount Royal ESG extension certificate. This course will provide both leaders and supply chain operational staff with an understanding of the strategic and tactical supply chain resiliency issues as well as approaches to effecting change.

Advanced Competencies for Practicing Midwives — Hormonal Contraception

This course will include a four-week practicum that will allow registered midwife learners in Alberta to practice the skills necessary to prescribe, order, and administer hormonal contraception. Delivery will be flexible and accessible to prospective learners. The didactic component will be an online course that will provide weekly tutorials on hormonal contraceptive management.

Bridge to Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC)

This micro-credential program will include various stand-alone micro-credentials that build on each other and link to discipline-specific topics such as: Introduction to the ELCC Profession in Alberta; Child Development; Working with Families; and Professional Program Planning and Practicum. Each micro-credential includes an experiential learning component enabling students to apply theoretical knowledge to professional practice with a strong focus on skills development. Completed micro-credentials and accrued practicum hours can be applied to ELCC certification with the Government of Alberta and may ladder into other diploma and degree programs.

“We are expanding our line of micro-credentials that align with the demands of Alberta’s economy,” said Dr. Evan Cortens, PhD, interim dean of the Faculty of Continuing Education and Extension. “MRU is well positioned to meet the needs of Albertans looking to enhance their existing skills or pivot to a new job by providing relevant skills training that meet the needs of today's employers.”