Micro-credentials in the European Union: Between Promise and Trust

A new article published in the journal Indagatio Didactica (vol. 18, no. 1, 2026), authored by Cristiano Rogério Vieira and Joana Maia Marta at Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade – ISQ (Portugal), examines the role of micro-credentials within the institutional and regulatory framework of the European Union.

Through a systematic literature review, based on 23 scientific and normative studies, the authors conclude that micro-credentials have the potential to make education and training more flexible and better suited to the ongoing need for skills updating. However, their consolidation in Europe remains constrained by employers’ lack of trust, regulatory fragmentation between countries, and the absence of common quality assurance mechanisms.

The study argues that the future of micro-credentials will depend less on their quantitative expansion and more on building trust—through clear learning outcomes, transparency, and alignment with the real needs of the labour market.

The article forms part of the European project H2Excellence (Fuel Cells and Green Hydrogen Centres of Vocational Excellence), funded by the Erasmus+ programme.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34624/d6rpaz45

For more information about the research and publication, please contact crvieira@isq.pt and jfmarta@isq.pt.