The MICROIDEA project has been referenced in the new OECD report A Skills-First Labour Market, published in 2026 as part of the OECD “Getting Skills Right” series.
The report focuses on the growing shift towards skills-first labour markets. It explains why employers, education providers and public authorities need clearer ways to identify, develop and recognise skills. It also highlights the role of flexible learning pathways, micro-credentials, recognition of prior learning and closer links between education and employment.
MICROIDEA is included in the report as an example of how micro-credentials can support targeted upskilling in the tourism sector. The report refers to the project’s work in piloting micro-credentials in European countries and developing an occupational profile for waiters. This profile identifies both core and optional tasks and supports the design of micro-credentials linked to specific skills needs.
The OECD report notes that MICROIDEA designed micro-credentials to support upskilling in optional tasks, especially those connected to digital and green skills, such as green cleaning and digital marketing. This is closely aligned with the project’s aim to make vocational education and training more flexible, practical and responsive to labour market needs.
For MICROIDEA, this reference is an important moment. It shows that the project is working on issues that are highly relevant to current European and international discussions on skills, employability and lifelong learning. Across Europe, workers need opportunities to update their skills without always following long and rigid training routes. At the same time, employers need clearer evidence of what people can actually do.
Micro-credentials can help address this gap. They allow learners to gain recognition for specific skills and support more flexible learning pathways. For sectors such as tourism, where job roles are changing due to digitalisation, sustainability demands and new customer expectations, this approach can offer real value.
The MICROIDEA project contributes to this shift by developing practical tools for vocational education and training providers, workers and employers. Its work supports the recognition of targeted skills and promotes stronger links between training content and real occupational needs.
The reference in the OECD report strengthens the visibility of MICROIDEA and confirms the relevance of its work in the wider discussion on skills-first approaches. It also underlines the importance of European cooperation in creating learning models that are more accessible, skills-focused and connected to the labour market.
The OECD report A Skills-First Labour Market is available here:
https://doi.org/10.1787/2e1b85f0-en
