SACAP Establishes Global Division to Provide Micro-Credentials

While many of us believe that higher education is essential for career success, in today’s fast-paced world, traditional degree and diploma programs may not deliver results quickly enough to ensure job security or critical career advancement.

Stackable credentials are increasingly being explored by tertiary educational institutions as a means of expediting upskilling. These short-term courses, known as micro-credentials, digital badges, and nanodegrees, enable employees to dynamically advance in their careers and earn higher pay because they can demonstrate their in-demand competencies in a much shorter time frame.

SACAP (South African College of Applied Psychology) has launched a new Global Division offering a variety of micro-credentials and short courses in a context where lifelong learning is essential for business owners, managers, and employees. The courses are delivered via the OpenLearning online platform, which enables SACAP Global to provide learners around the world with engaging, transformative, and certified educational experiences.

While SACAP Global initially launched in the Malaysian market, where micro-credentials are in high demand, the courses are open to anyone over the age of 18, including South Africans.

“”SACAP Global is primarily for working professionals who recognize the importance of lifelong learning and want to stay relevant in an ever-changing global economy,” says Debbie Hemp, SACAP’s Business Development Director. “”Micro-credentials allow you to learn on the go, making it easier to study flexibly as a working person.” Gaining in-demand skills positions you well to advance in your career or prepare for a career change. We can now directly assist learners and employers in meeting their current and future demands through SACAP Global.”

SACAP Global’s initial offering consists of four micro-credentials and a short course in the fields of Management & Leadership and Applied Psychology. Communication, psychology, business management, human resources, and coaching are among the topics covered in the English language courses.

SACAP Global micro credentials enable quick and direct application of skills in a current or future work environment by combining content knowledge and practical experience. They are ideal for employees and business owners who want to learn in-demand skills, update their skill sets, and improve their work performance.

“These first courses reflect SACAP’s deep experience of teaching and learning in these areas of expertise,” says Karolyne Williams, SACAP Global’s Head of Strategic Innovation, “and we look forward to rolling out additional SACAP Global micro-credentials next year.”

The micro-credentials are six-week courses that require 10 to 13 hours of work per week, whereas the Coaching Skills for Managers short course lasts 12 weeks. Students who complete all assignments and earn an overall minimum grade of 50 percent or higher are awarded a digital certificate.

SACAP’s long-standing ethos of student-centered learning is reflected in the new Global division. OpenLearning’s social learning platform enables students to actively engage in a like-minded community, and course engagement is part of the summative assessment process. Furthermore, students have direct access to SACAP Global’s Course Facilitators and Course Co-Ordinator.

“At SACAP, we recognize that life-long learning is critical to career advancement and achieving personal aspirations,” Hemp concludes. With our extensive experience in higher education and understanding of working with multicultural content, it is an honor to present our interdisciplinary application of psychology and human-centered approach to learning on an international stage. We look forward to interacting with SACAP Global students and collaborating with them on their paths to greater fulfillment in their careers and personal lives.”