Three working meetings organised by SFC Sistemi Formativi Confindustria and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna explored how micro-credentials can better connect skills development, education and training provision with labour-market needs in Italy.
As part of Work Package 5 of the European MASTERY project, SFC Sistemi Formativi Confindustria and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna brought together Italian stakeholders for three working meetings held in July and September 2026.
The meetings involved representatives of vocational education and training, universities, public authorities and other relevant organisations. Together, they examined the current landscape for micro-credentials in Italy and discussed the conditions required to strengthen their recognition, credibility and wider use.
The discussions highlighted the potential of micro-credentials to provide flexible and targeted learning opportunities in response to changing skills needs. However, participants also stressed that their value depends on their ability to connect with existing education, qualification and employment systems.
Several priority areas emerged from the three meetings:
- Aligning micro-credentials with qualification frameworks, clearly defined learning outcomes and appropriate levels of competence.
- Improving coherence and interoperability across regional and national education and training systems.
- Strengthening quality assurance, assessment and recognition mechanisms.
- Connecting micro-credentials more closely with the skills needs identified by companies and employment services.
- Developing appropriate indicators to measure their contribution to lifelong learning, employability and the reduction of skills gaps.
Participants emphasised that micro-credentials should not be developed as isolated training products. Their credibility and practical value require cooperation between training providers, universities, public authorities, employers, employment services and other labour-market actors.
The three meetings provided a structured space to transform the challenges identified into practical proposals adapted to the Italian context. They also helped clarify the roles that different stakeholders could play in the design, delivery, recognition and use of micro-credentials.
The discussions identified opportunities for continued cooperation and for future pilot initiatives through which the proposed approaches could be tested and refined. Particular attention was paid to the potential of micro-credentials to support the development of green skills and respond more rapidly to the needs arising from the green transition.
The results of the Italian working meetings will contribute directly to the MASTERY VET and policy recommendations. Together with the evidence gathered through the other national and European workshops, they will support the development of trusted, transparent and transferable micro-credentials capable of connecting lifelong learning with evolving labour-market needs across Europe.