The Government of Ontario recently announced $11 million in funding to support the development of micro-credentials programs at postsecondary institutions. On April 30, a call for proposals was launched for postsecondary institutions to submit micro-credentials programs. The province is also offering a $1 million dollar reward – the Micro-credentials Impact Award – for institutions with the most successful projects with significant community impact in their region. More information about the fund is also available on the University’s Government and Community Relations website.
The application process will be centralized, meaning that Brock University has been asked to submit one proposal on behalf of the entire University. However, the proposal can include numerous micro-credential projects from several academic units.
Faculty members and staff are invited to create and design micro-credentials projects for Brock’s submission. We are asking interested faculty and staff to please contact the Office of Government & Community Relations as early as possible to express their interest. Under the province’s guidelines, all projects submitted for funding require an industry partner who can sponsor and help develop the proposal. While the Government and Community Relations Office can help facilitate these connections, they will take some lead time to develop – hence the importance of reaching out early. The Office of Government & Community Relations will assist with finding and developing partnerships.
The Office of Government & Community Relations will be holding information sessions on May 11 and May 12 to provide more information to interested faculty members. While the times for these sessions are still being finalized, they will be available on the Office of Government and Community Relations website.
Final project submissions internally at Brock will be due by June 14, 2021.
Successful individual projects can receive up to $50,000 in support to design new or expanded micro-credentials. The province is also offering up to $300,000 in financial support for complex suites of micro-credentials of at least five projects. Funding can be used for partnership development, program design and development, development of a prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) tool, and/or administrative costs.
To learn more, please visit the Office of Government and Community Relations website or contact the Office at govtrelations@brocku.ca. The team would be happy to work with you on developing a project for Brock’s submission.