On June 11, 2026, Sistemi Formativi Confindustria participated in the online event “Talent Factory and Microcredentials – Attracting, Retaining and Making Skills Visible”, organized within the EXCEED TALKS series, a set of meetings
The initiative provided an opportunity for European-level discussion among experts, researchers, and vocational education and training (VET) professionals on the strategic role of microcredentials as a tool for enhancing skills, attracting and retaining talent, and addressing brain drain in local territories.
During the event, the MASTERY – Microcredentials Reliability Unleashing Green Economy project was presented. MASTERY is an Erasmus+ Forward-Looking project coordinated by SFC Sistemi Formativi Confindustria and developed by a European consortium of eight organizations across five countries (Italy, Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Finland).
The project introduces a structured framework for the systematic implementation of microcredentials in key sectors of the green transition, aiming to help bridge the gap between European skills policies and the concrete needs expressed by the productive system.
MASTERY is primarily aimed at vocational training providers and actively involves companies, universities, research centers, and public administrations engaged in the transition toward a circular economy. The transnational partnership also promotes cooperation between the education system and industry to innovate models for validating and recognizing green skills.
A rigorous, quality-based approach
The MASTERY project stands out for its structured approach to the design, delivery, and certification of microcredentials, based on a methodology composed of eight foundational elements.
During the presentation, three key pillars were highlighted as essential to ensuring the quality, reliability, and recognition of microcredentials within European VET systems:
• Multi-stakeholder co-design, involving companies, training systems, and end users in defining learning outcomes, ensuring full alignment with labor market needs.
• An independent Quality Assurance system, inspired by EQAVET principles, which ensures a clear separation between design, delivery, and assessment, guaranteeing transparency and credibility in certification processes.
• Alignment with the European ESCO framework, enabling standardization and comparability of certified skills and supporting their transferability across different sectors and national contexts.
To date, the project has carried out 13 European pilots and issued more than 150 microcredentials through the MICOO platform, involving workers, students, and trainers across partner countries.
Outlook: toward national Working Groups
The experimentation carried out within MASTERY forms the basis for broader work aimed at defining policy recommendations for integrating microcredentials into national and European VET systems.
In this context, SFC and the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa are launching national Working Groups to engage stakeholders from Italy’s education and production systems.
The meetings will be held in a hybrid format (online and at SFC headquarters) on the following dates:
• 13 July 2026
• 14 September 2026
• 12 October 2026
The working groups will include representatives from four stakeholder categories:
- VET training providers
- Companies and workers
- Policymakers
- Accreditation agencies and intermediary bodies (including interprofessional funds, CPIA, and trade associations)
For information and to join the MASTERY Policy Recommendation Working Groups:
On June 11, 2026, Sistemi Formativi Confindustria participated in the online event “Talent Factory and Microcredentials – Attracting, Retaining and Making Skills Visible”, organized within the EXCEED TALKS series, a set of meetings
The initiative provided an opportunity for European-level discussion among experts, researchers, and vocational education and training (VET) professionals on the strategic role of microcredentials as a tool for enhancing skills, attracting and retaining talent, and addressing brain drain in local territories.
During the event, the MASTERY – Microcredentials Reliability Unleashing Green Economy project was presented. MASTERY is an Erasmus+ Forward-Looking project coordinated by SFC Sistemi Formativi Confindustria and developed by a European consortium of eight organizations across five countries (Italy, Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Finland).
The project introduces a structured framework for the systematic implementation of microcredentials in key sectors of the green transition, aiming to help bridge the gap between European skills policies and the concrete needs expressed by the productive system.
MASTERY is primarily aimed at vocational training providers and actively involves companies, universities, research centers, and public administrations engaged in the transition toward a circular economy. The transnational partnership also promotes cooperation between the education system and industry to innovate models for validating and recognizing green skills.
A rigorous, quality-based approach
The MASTERY project stands out for its structured approach to the design, delivery, and certification of microcredentials, based on a methodology composed of eight foundational elements.
During the presentation, three key pillars were highlighted as essential to ensuring the quality, reliability, and recognition of microcredentials within European VET systems:
• Multi-stakeholder co-design, involving companies, training systems, and end users in defining learning outcomes, ensuring full alignment with labor market needs.
• An independent Quality Assurance system, inspired by EQAVET principles, which ensures a clear separation between design, delivery, and assessment, guaranteeing transparency and credibility in certification processes.
• Alignment with the European ESCO framework, enabling standardization and comparability of certified skills and supporting their transferability across different sectors and national contexts.
To date, the project has carried out 13 European pilots and issued more than 150 microcredentials through the MICOO platform, involving workers, students, and trainers across partner countries.
Outlook: toward national Working Groups
The experimentation carried out within MASTERY forms the basis for broader work aimed at defining policy recommendations for integrating microcredentials into national and European VET systems.
In this context, SFC and the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa are launching national Working Groups to engage stakeholders from Italy’s education and production systems.
The meetings will be held in a hybrid format (online and at SFC headquarters) on the following dates:
• 13 July 2026
• 14 September 2026
• 12 October 2026
The working groups will include representatives from four stakeholder categories:
- VET training providers
- Companies and workers
- Policymakers
- Accreditation agencies and intermediary bodies (including interprofessional funds, CPIA, and trade associations)
For information and to join the MASTERY Policy Recommendation Working Groups: