At a local biotechnology professionals meeting, Meg Hardt, Corporate Engagement Supervisor at Arthrex and Dr. Shawn Felton, Interim Dean of the College of Health and Human Services at FGCU, recently discussed the success of their collaboration to develop a pilot micro credential and badging program for medical devices.
First, Dr. Felton described how micro credentialing gives students the opportunity to excel in certain useful skills for career growth.
"Does anyone know what a micro credential or digital badge is?" he asked the group. "In higher education you've seen this has been a new trend that has moved forward to connect industry with with higher education institutions. We were really trying to close the skills gap. The credential is the credential. The digital badge is the outward display."
He then pointed out how the micro credentialing process is aimed at meeting local workforce needs.
"What was really important with this was we were able to go and connect with an industry—in this case Arthrex—to see where their needs and the gaps were in in their workforce. So, we really utilize what the industry needed, the competencies that the industry needed, as kind of those teachable guidelines," he said. "We allow Arthrex to say 'this is what we would really like to see in a grad or student,' and then we will develop curricula around that. So that was really how we focus here at FGCU."
Meg Hardt shared how the process benefits the student and the companies involved in creating the program with FGCU.
"At the ultimate end of the course, you have this actual digital badge that you can put on your LinkedIn page, your CV, your resume to showcase that you are competent in the competencies that we put forward to be achieved in this course. And then what's unique to Arthrex, is that we guarantee an interview at Arthrex. It doesn't guarantee you a job, but it guarantees you a foot in the door and what an incredible experience to have and to learn from! That is an opportunity in and of itself!"
Hardt continued, "Of course, we want to, ultimately at the end of this course, have the cream of the crop to come out of this program receiving a digital badge. It's not for everybody. It shouldn't be so easy that everybody goes, goes and does it."
And then, Hardt said that the outcomes speak for themselves.
"So six semesters we’ve run this program. So far we've had 167 students go through, 23 students have earned the digital badge."
And according to Felton and Hardt, the Arthrex microcredential class for spring semester at FGCU is 100% full.
Karen Moore is a contributing partner for WGCU and the publisher of SWFL Business Today.
