Webinar to examine qualifications recognition systems with focus on New Zealand’s experience of integrating micro-credentials into its National Qualifications Frameworks

Capacity-building webinar for Asia and the Pacific – Session 2: Micro-Credentials in Focus: Advancing Recognition and Lifelong Learning in Asia-Pacific

Date and time: 24 September 2025 – 2:30 pm – 24 September 2025 – 3:30 pm (Bangkok time, UTC+7)
Format: Online via Zoom (prior registration required)
Target audience: Policymakers and higher education stakeholders based in Asia and the Pacific
Languages: English

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The UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and Office for UN Coordination for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCO Bangkok), in cooperation with the President of the Bureau of the Tokyo Convention, New Zealand, will host the second session in the Asia-Pacific webinar series on recognition conventions in higher education.

This webinar focuses on micro-credentials: short, targeted learning achievements that certify what learners know or can do. As demand grows for flexible upskilling and reskilling, their success depends on clear recognition by governments, institutions, and employers. To support this, UNESCO has developed a common definition of micro-credentials and guidance for aligning them with National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs), ensuring they are trusted and portable across borders.

Background

Micro-credentials are gaining traction worldwide as tools for higher education to adapt to rapid social and labour market change. In Asia-Pacific, they are especially relevant to advancing Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) on inclusive and equitable quality education, where lifelong learning is a priority.

The Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education and the Asia-Pacific Regional Convention (Tokyo Convention) provide strong foundations for this progress. By promoting transparency, academic mobility, and quality assurance, they enable countries to integrate both traditional qualifications and newer forms of learning—such as micro-credentials—into recognition systems that strengthen trust between education providers, employers, and governments.

This session builds on the first webinar in August 2025, which explored the broader benefits of the recognition conventions, and forms part of a three-part series leading up to the sixth session of the Tokyo Convention Committee and the fifth Asia-Pacific Network of National Information Centres (APNNIC) Plenary from 17 to 19 November 2025.

Session objectives

• Share global trends on micro-credentials and their role in lifelong learning systems.
• Highlight New Zealand’s experience of integrating micro-credentials into its NQF.
• Raise awareness of the Global Convention and Tokyo Convention.
• Showcase the role of National Information Centres (NICs) and APNNIC in recognition processes.

Programme

14:30 – 14:35	Opening and introduction – Dolly Seow-Ganesan, Manager, Qualifications Recognition Service, New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA); President of the Tokyo Convention Committee
14:35 – 14:45	Presentation: Micro-credentials: definitions, global trends, and their role in building flexible lifelong learning systems – Wesley Teter, PhD, Senior Specialist, Higher Education Section, UNESCO
14:45 – 15:05	Presentation: Integrating micro-credentials into the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) – Melinda Hall, Principal Policy Analyst, NZQA
15:05 – 15:25	Q&A
15:25 – 15:30	Wrap-up – Marina Patrier, Deputy Director and Chief of Education Section, UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and Office for UN Coordination for Asia and the Pacific; Secretary of the Tokyo Convention and APNNIC

Who should attend

• Policymakers and government education officials
• UN agencies and development partners
• Researchers and civil society organizations
• Higher education personnel
• Students and youth
• Members of APNNIC

Session Presentations and Video Recording

Missed the first webinar in the series?

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Cover Image by Leremy/Shutterstock.com