Within the Erasmus+ project MC.VET Microcredentials – A New Path for Capacity Building in VET, partners have worked on defining microcredentials in the national education systems of Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro. As part of peer learning activities, over 250 individuals were engaged from VET, HE, ministries, agencies, employment services, and above all, employers, to gain insights from different perspectives and needs. Together they have proposed definitions of microcredentials and the next is to develop a new joint microcredential and piloting it with learners.
The development of the microcredentials was guided by the needs of the labour market and employers. The partners have conducted focus groups with employers in all partner countries, gathering 40 employers from the mechanical engineering sector. They collected detailed feedback about specific skill and competencies need for 3D printing, which served as the basis for developing the new microcredential. In the following step, partners formed expert groups that first proposed the content and framework of the 3D printing microcredential at the national level. These proposals were collected and compared to identify similarities and differences.
Based on these findings, partners organized a joint working group meeting in Mostar from the 26th to 27th February 2025, to discuss and agree on the joint content of the microqualification “Production of Simple Products Using 3D Printing”, with a duration of 50 school hours. Although the educational systems in the partner countries differ, the use of European transparency tools (such as EQF and credit systems), along with learning outcomes based on labour market needs, ensures the comparability and transparency of the acquired competencies. In order to successfully pilot the new 3D printing microcredential, partners have organized a train-the-trainer program. The training was conducted by experts from the School Centre Novo mesto from the 7th to 9th of April 2025, for a total of 12 teachers from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro.
Participants learned the basics of 3D modelling using Onshape, explored key tools such as sketches and 3D operations, and created both simple and more complex models. They have gained hands-on experience, prepared models for 3D printing, and discussed effective methods for teaching 3D modelling in the classroom. Next step in the project implementation will be a piloting with VET learners in all partner countries.
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Author of the article: Danijel Đekić, Head of International Relations of the Craft College