Micro-credentials With Purpose

What Resonated in Warsaw

I had the opportunity to join the Warsaw Micro-credential Summit 2025 earlier this month. Organised by Poland’s Educational Research Institute and National Research Institute, it brought together an incredible mix of international voices, including policy leaders, system architects, platform designers, researchers, educators - and those of us who’ve been sitting somewhere in the middle, helping connect the dots.

It was structured around six strong themes; public policy, technology, standards, higher education, school education, and the labour market, but what stood out most was what cut across those boundaries. There was a sense of shared momentum, but also a shared question: how do we make micro-credentials matter, for all stakeholders.

(Thanks to Oonagh McGirr, for the unofficial motto, “Make Micro-credentials Matter”)

This isn’t hype. It’s considered, system-wide work.

One of the most resonant messages came early, from project lead Michał Nowakowski. He described Poland’s work on micro-credentials not as a quick win, but as a winter expedition up K2.

“This is not a shortcut,” he said. “But today we have good weather.”

I liked that. It captured both the complexity and the readiness. There’s a clear-eyed recognition in Poland that to do micro-credentials well, requires policy shifts, new partnerships, good tech, and patience. The national project, backed by the European Social Fund, is building just that: a digital, inclusive, standards-based system that can support lifelong learning and meet labour market needs.

This isn’t digital glitter, it’s a serious investment in capability and connection.

Recognition is still the heartbeat

Across all the sessions, the question that kept resurfacing was: how do we recognise learning in ways that are meaningful - for learners, for employers, for systems?

In the labour market stream (where I spoke), we talked about the data inside micro-credentials. That yes, we need skills frameworks and metadata, but we also need language that people can use to describe their own growth. Something that connects what they know and can do to what others need to understand.

What resonated with me here was the shared focus on visibility, not just assessment or issuing. Recognition isn’t just about measurement. It’s about making learning visible, so it can be used, shared, and built on.

Micro-credentials as motivation and meaning

I liked the case studies that came from the school education stream, in particular the work being done at Artes Liberales High School, where students are using micro-credentials to reflect on their learning, rather than being boxed in by grades.

“The traditional assessment model is ineffective,” said co-founder Marcin Szala. “Micro-credentials motivate learning. They’re collectible. You can brag about them.”

That line stuck with me. It reminded me that credentials aren’t just about validation -they’re about momentum and pride. When learners see progress, they move forward. When their skills are acknowledged, they grow. When I first started working with digital badges I remember looking at how many people shared their badges on Facebook, and I realised, not to get a job, but to share their achievements with friends and family.

Policy and practice, working in sync

I also appreciated the care with which public policy discussions were held and the different viewpoints and experiences that were shared, including my experience with the Australian Framework.

Katrin Maack from Estonia and Stuart Martin from New Zealand both spoke about the importance of finding the “policy sweet spot”, not too rigid, not too vague. And there were strong signals from the OECD and Cedefop that Europe is thinking hard about scaling trust in ways that allow for innovation and flexibility. Also got to applaud Estonia who have a third of their adult population undertaking some form of lifelong learning.

What I’m still thinking about

One comment that’s stayed with me came from Simone Ravaioli, who said:

“Instead of defining micro-credentials, try to understand the data behind them.”

It was a quiet provocation - one that gently challenged the room to move beyond the endless swirl of definitions and instead focus on how credentials actually work. What do they contain? Who are they for? What signals do they send, and to whom?

It reminded me that we often look for clarity in labels, but when it comes to micro-credentials, the value lies in purpose and use, not in rigid categories.

And honestly, not everything needs to wear the label to belong. I sometimes compare micro-credentials to cheese. We know mozzarella, gouda, cheddar, and brie are all cheeses, they sit in the same general category, but they taste different, behave differently, and are used for different things. We don’t need to argue about what type of cheese brie is, (or call it brie cheese), to appreciate its purpose on a cheese platter.

It’s the same with micro-credentials. Some are stackable, some standalone. Some are for entry-level skills, others for advanced specialisations. Some are issued by universities, others by employers or platforms. They don’t all need to fit a single definition to be useful.

So the question is: how do we keep building, recognising, and trusting micro-credentials, even while the category remains broad, evolving and a little messy?

I think the answer lies in clarity of function, not form. We need to make sure that each credential is meaningful in its own context, that it’s understandable to the people using it, and that it connects to something real: a skill, a need, a next step.

If we can do that, the label matters a lot less. And maybe that’s exactly how it should be.

Final reflections

What really enthused me was how aligned the community felt, across countries, sectors, and roles. Whether people were speaking from a school, a ministry, a platform, or a policy unit, the message was consistent: micro-credentials are here to do real work.

They’re here to:

• Make learning visible

• Motivate people at all stages of life

• Open up flexible and meaningful pathways

• Complement - not compete with - traditional education

• Support transitions in a changing world of work

And while the summit has ended, the mountain climb hasn’t. The forecast is looking good and the view from the base camp is encouraging.

See more at this short video, with thanks to Stuart Martin.

Next week I’ll share some more insights and provocations from Warsaw.