The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has recognized five higher education institutions (HEIs) as providers of 55 for-credit micro-credentials, expanding opportunities for students, professionals, and other lifelong learners to gain focused and industry-relevant skills through shorter and more flexible learning pathways.
This supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s priority to strengthen education and skills development and better prepare Filipinos for future jobs. By expanding access to shorter, targeted learning options, micro-credentials can help students build additional competencies alongside their degree programs and allow workers to upskill or reskill as industry needs change.
The newly recognized providers are:
- St. Scholastica’s College Manila — 6 micro-credentials in tourism, hospitality, events management, recreation, food entrepreneurship, and culinary sustainability;
- World Citi Colleges — 12 micro-credentials covering cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, digital marketing, e-commerce, workplace communication, and related areas;
- University of the Visayas — 10 micro-credentials in application and use cases, data analytics, data engineering, data science, machine learning, and platform administration;
- Saint Tonis College, Inc. — 22 micro-credentials covering information technology, programming, hospitality, culinary arts, teaching and learning, and professional skills; and
- Brokenshire College, Inc. — 5 micro-credentials covering cultural and literacy appreciation and specialized healthcare competencies, including phlebotomy and malarial microscopy.
Under the leadership of CHED Chairperson Shirley Agrupis, the Commission is expanding flexible, quality-assured learning pathways that respond more quickly to emerging skills requirements. For students, these credentials provide a way to strengthen employability with specialized competencies; for the workforce, they provide more accessible pathways for continuing learning, upskilling, and reskilling.
What are micro-credentials?
Under CHED Memorandum Order No. 1, s. 2025, micro-credentials are short, focused learning courses designed to develop and certify specific knowledge, skills, values, and competencies. They may be offered within a higher education program or as stand-alone learning opportunities, and may be developed by HEIs with industry partners.
Micro-credentials may be for-credit or stackable, and non-credit or non-stackable, giving learners more flexible ways to build competencies while maintaining quality standards and alignments with the Philippine Qualifications Framework.
The five HEIs were evaluated by the CHED’s Office of Programs and Standards Development and the Technical Working Group on Lifelong Learning and found compliant with the required documentary and micro-credential requirements. Their approved offerings respond to identified industry and workforce needs in areas such as cybersecurity, data analytics, hospitality, tourism, entrepreneurship, healthcare, and education.
Prior to the approval of these HEIs, eight institutions had already been recognized to offer micro-credentials. With the latest approvals, the number of recognized institutions has increased to 12, as one of the five institutions was already previously recognized.
The recognition of the five HEIs as providers of the approved for-credit micro-credentials is valid for three years, strengthening CHED’s continuing push for flexible, relevant, and quality-assured learning opportunities that can help Filipinos keep pace with changing skills requirements. (PR)
