November 10, 2021

Meet the Mandy Micro-Credentials

Mandy Money

You might have heard that your students qualify for a Mandy Micro-Credential at certain points along our curriculum. But what exactly does this mean?

Whether it's the transition to online learning, or the wide-scale disruption of the education industry, Micro-Credentials seem to be the buzzword of the year, playing a critical role in bridging the gap between academia and employment. Often, school curriculums or university courses don’t cover the skills needed for employment in the modern workforce. Therefore, many students have turned towards completing Micro-Credentials with their higher education simultaneously rather than just following the traditional academic pathway. The number of students and employers heading in this direction are resulting in a fast changing academic landscape.

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Why are Micro-Credentials gaining popularity?

There are a number of factors putting wind in the micro-credential sails.

Firstly, The gig economy, which requires a fluid and diverse approach to work, up-skilling and qualification acquirement. Hello Micro-Credentials.
Secondly, dynamic modern industries which demand nuanced skills and speedy development of said skills. Hello Micro-Credentials.
Thirdly, there is an emerging trend which preferences workers with experience and specific skills as opposed to large, generalised education. Once again, hello Micro-Credentials.

The effect of the tailwinds backing the micro-credential rise is evident ~

In 2019, Only 20% of employers stating Micro-Credentials as being highly important. Today, over 54% of employers believe them to be a core part of their employee's educational careers.

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What are our Micro-Credentials?

To make a long story short, our Mandy Micro-Credentials are a recognition of achievement, awarded to your student by Mandy to acknowledge that they have a solid grasp on particular area of personal finance. There are a few key components that define a micro-credential.

For starters, they typically focus on a niche area of study, in our case, personal finance.
Additionally, they’re relatively short. Our Mandy Micro-Credentials will take your students anywhere between 5-9 hours to complete.
Another key component of Micro-Credentials is the presence of an adequate level of structure, rigour and assessment. Our Micro-Credentials are comprised of key learning objectives, modular assessments and supporting activities and homework. Our focus is to not simply give your students wall decor, but genuine life lessons and skills development.

Often, Micro-Credentials are industry oriented and aim to equip the individual with specific skills they need to progress in their career. Given the nature of the Mandy Credential for high school students, we focus on building general life, finance and employability skills which your student will need regardless of the field they pursue.

Our Mandy Micro-Credentials available for High School Students

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What can your Students do with them?

Your students can apply their Mandy micro-credential in an array of different ways!

The key and most useful outcome includes students cultivating understanding, behaviours, and confidence in regards to money. Achievement of our Micro-Credentials will set them up to effectively tackle any financial crossroad or difficulty life may throw at them.

However, let’s talk about what they can do with the credential in a practical sense. Following completion of the course, your students will be provided with a printable certificate which they can add to their resume to broaden their CV and demonstrate their school involvement and employability in the workforce. These types of credentials are very valuable to employers as they demonstrate your students’ financial skills and dedication to learning which are great qualities for a potential employee to have.

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It's a full circle situation. Students' new skills and CV booster will play a role in helping them land a job. This new source of income can then be used to apply and further develop their newly learnt skills. A truly wholistic education!

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