'My micro-credential course allowed me to get up off my chair and make a difference'

As we head into the final stretch of 2024, with all the promise of a new year — and the many resolutions that come with it — just around the corner, now is the time where many of us start seriously reflecting on our goals.

If you’re looking to aim higher in your professional life in particular — whether you want to upskill in a current role, or to try something entirely different and pursue new passions — the coming months offer the perfect opportunity to do so, as applications are now open for over 600 micro-credential courses across the country.

These short, flexible courses provide awards at Levels 6-9 on the National Framework of Qualifications across a wide variety of disciplines — and best of all, fees for each course can be subsidised by up to 80%

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has allocated funding of €9.7m to subsidise fees for up to 14,000 learners across 654 micro-credential courses. All courses are accredited by higher education institutions and are offered by universities and higher education providers across Ireland.

The micro-credential course learner fee subsidy, under the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) Pillar 3, offers a subsidy rate of at least 50 per cent, but ranges up to 80% for courses addressing skills in key priority areas; including renewable energy, sustainability, construction and planning, artificial intelligence, ICT, electronic engineering and cyber security.

The subsidy scheme has been introduced to enable more learners to address critical skills gaps in the Irish workforce — a gap that Killian O’Leary was keenly aware of when he decided to embark on his own micro-credential course.

Killian is a career, recruitment and life coach who runs ProgressCoaching.ie. He undertook a certificate in Digital Operational Resilience run by the Cyber Skills project in MTU.

Killian was first inspired to do so after serendipitously picking up a cyber skills brochure at a cyber event last year and discovering that there was likely to be a lot of hiring in that niche in the coming years.

“I spoke to some cyber clients who told me [about the need for cyber skills] and, as a cyber recruiter, the penny dropped with me that it might be an opportune time to seek out a qualification in cyber risk.

“The course is really helping me to understand the ever-evolving cyber risk landscape and why/how the various risk frameworks are applied, what sectors are impacted etc. I also feel better equipped to participate in conversations with my clients and candidates when helping them to navigate their respective career journeys within cyber security.

“I pride myself on being a ‘trusted recruitment advisor’ to my clients and so all the knowledge I’m invariably gaining from this course, as well as the perception of being committed to upskilling in the cyber risk area, greatly enhances my brand in the marketplace.”

The structure of the lectures was another big bonus for Killian, who wasn’t sure if time would be available to complete such a course while he was still working. “The way the course is structured allows me to work full-time and still attend all lectures,” he explains. “The course content is also regularly updated and kept in-tune with the evolving cyber risk landscape and I just felt my study efforts would be maximised by participating in this course.

“Additionally, I could clearly see the calibre of lecturers with vast industry experience and, again, I just felt that my learning would benefit hugely from working closely with such expert advisors. From my research, I also understood the calibre of the course participants would expose me to differing perspectives on the core subjects. The participatory nature of classes is something that I feel really encourages me to probe and ask questions. The lively debate during each class makes the time go by so quickly and I always end up greatly looking forward to the next class.”

Similarly for Waterford based teacher Niamh Owens, it was the chance to learn from highly regarded experts in her field that first drew her towards her dream micro-credential course.

She thanks social media for how her Mentoring for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion course in Maynooth University all but fell into her lap.

“I follow Dr Katriona O'Sullivan on LinkedIn, and she had previously given a great talk to my colleagues and I when she visited our school,” Niamh shares. “I had read her book over the previous summer and it really changed my outlook on life and why I became a teacher. I always wondered if I was doing the best for my students or if I could do better.

“It was midnight when I saw her post seeking applicants for the mentorship program but I jumped at it! I emailed the programme straight away and I was delighted to be accepted.”

The course has benefitted Niamh in many ways, and she now believes she is more aware of her students’ emotions and what they may be going through on a daily basis.

“Being on the course has definitely benefitted my role as a teacher and special educational needs co-ordinator,” she said. “I am more comfortable with long silences now, and realise that by being silent is sometimes the best way to communicate. I’ve always believed that every student deserves to have a career and I really loved being able to share that with the mentees on the course. I loved sharing my story and my passion with them.

“I chose the course because I wanted to make a difference. Dr O'Sullivan always says if you want to make a difference, do something about it. Well, I did do something about it. I didn't want to be sitting at home reading her book and saying I’ll do this and I'll do that… I wanted to physically make a change. This course allowed me to do that and I am so happy that I got off my chair.”

• To find more opportunities like Killian’s and Niamh’s, and to see the full list of 654 courses available at a subsidised rate, visit www.hea.ie.