𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐔

A two-day Regional Consultative Meeting on Developing a Commonwealth Credit Transfer Framework is currently underway at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) on March 24 and 25, 2025.

The workshop, hosted under the theme “Commonwealth Credit Transfer Framework: Micro-Credentials in a Digital Age,” has attracted participants from Papua New Guinea, Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, and the Solomon Islands.

The objectives of the two-day workshop are as follows:

• To engage with key national and institutional post-secondary education stakeholders at the regional level.
• To share findings from in-depth reviews of micro-credentialing literature, tools, and practices throughout the Commonwealth with stakeholders.
• To determine the national and regional needs for credit transfer and micro-credentialing.
• To gather stakeholders’ input to inform the draft Commonwealth Credit Transfer Framework for Micro-Credentials.
Speaking at the official opening of the workshop this morning, SINU Vice Chancellor Professor Transform Aqorau welcomed all participants and facilitators to SINU for this significant workshop.
“It is with great honour and heartfelt warmth that I welcome you all to the Solomon Islands, and more specifically, to Solomon Islands National University—a place that proudly reflects the aspirations of our people and the deep commitment we have to building knowledge, empowering communities, and driving transformation across our region,” he said.
“We are especially privileged to host this Pacific Regional Consultative Meeting on Developing a Commonwealth Credit Transfer Framework: Micro-credentials in a Digital Age,” he continued. “I thank the Commonwealth of Learning, and in particular Professor Peter Scott and Mr. Robert Okinda, for your leadership and for bringing us together at this critical moment in our shared journey.”

“We gather here today not only as educators or policymakers—but as stewards of the future,” Professor Aqorau stated. “We meet at a time when the world around us is changing rapidly. Digital technologies are reshaping the way we live, learn, and work. New industries are emerging, while traditional livelihoods are being transformed by globalization, automation, climate change, and shifting demographics. Across the Pacific, these changes are being felt acutely—in our schools, in our homes, in our economies, and most importantly, in the lives of our young people.”

“Micro-credentials, in this context, offer a new and exciting promise,” he added. “They allow us to reimagine education—making it more flexible, more inclusive, and more responsive to the needs of learners at all stages of life. They allow us to break down the walls of traditional education systems and bring learning to where people are—in our markets, in our villages, in our workplaces, and on their mobile phones.”

In practice, the SINU Vice Chancellor shared the view that micro-credentials mean creating short, stackable qualifications that recognize real skills.

“For example, for our informal sector, we can design micro-credentials in financial literacy, customer service, inventory management, and mobile banking—empowering our market vendors, shopkeepers, and micro-entrepreneurs to grow and manage their small businesses.”

“For our unemployed youth, we can offer digital certifications in basic ICT, coding, graphic design, hospitality, tourism services, and vehicle maintenance—opening doors to self-employment or regional job opportunities.”

“For those in our rural communities, we can roll out micro-qualifications in climate-resilient agriculture, fisheries monitoring, solar installation, waste management, and basic health and hygiene—skills that not only provide employment but also improve the resilience and sustainability of our communities.”

He emphasized that although these qualifications may be short in duration, they are long in impact, stating, “They can change lives. They can create pathways to further education, to better jobs, and to recognition for the kinds of knowledge that have long gone unacknowledged.”

“As we in the Pacific see increasing labour mobility with Australia and New Zealand through initiatives such as the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme and the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme, micro-credentials have the potential to become gateways to employment, mobility, and empowerment,” he said.

“We can equip our workers with micro-credentials in occupational health and safety, workplace communication, and basic trade skills, validated in-country and recognized abroad. We can prepare our people not just to work overseas, but to excel, and to return home with enhanced skills, confidence, and purpose.”

With that, the SINU Vice-Chancellor cautioned that with opportunity comes responsibility. He said, “We must ensure that the micro-credentials we develop are quality-assured, transparent, and aligned with national qualifications frameworks. We must build systems that allow credit transfer and recognition across institutions and borders. And we must make sure that no one is left behind—including women, people with disabilities, and those in the most remote parts of our region.”

“Over the next two days, we are not just sharing knowledge—we are co-creating a vision. A Commonwealth Credit Transfer Framework that will allow learning to flow across national boundaries, empower institutions to collaborate, and give learners across our islands and continents the recognition they deserve.”
“We are fortunate to be guided by the work of the Commonwealth of Learning, which has conducted in-depth reviews of the literature, tools, and practices in micro-credentialing across the Commonwealth. And we are privileged to have voices here from across the region—Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Nauru, New Zealand, Australia, and more. Your experience, your insights, and your local knowledge will shape a framework that is relevant, resilient, and regionally grounded.”

With that, the SINU VC concluded, “At SINU, we are ready and eager to play our part. We see ourselves not only as a national university but as a regional partner in building and piloting the systems that will carry micro-credentialing forward. Whether through research, curriculum development, or community outreach—we are committed to helping bring this vision to life.”

As I close, I want to return to a core idea: Education is no longer a one-time event—it is a lifelong journey. And micro-credentials are the signposts along that journey. They tell learners: You matter. Your skills matter. Your learning matters—whether it took place in a classroom, a canoe, a marketplace, or online.

Professor Peter Scott, President of the Commonwealth of Learning, followed up from the Vice-Chancellor to emphasise that the Pacific is leading the way in seeing micro-credentials as enhancing global education access and lifelong learning. He noted that “these powerful small things: microcredentials, can allow learners to access skill learning in very new, flexible ways. Charting a path together for a common framework here in the Pacific, will help all our world to more effectively drive learning quality up; drive learning cost down; and increase equity of learning access, not just in these islands, but also for the wider world”.

Also speaking at the official opening of the two days’ workshop is the Minister of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD) Hon. Tozen Leokana.

Minister Leokana said, “the initiatives that the resources persons of this workshop including participants’ discussions will surely offer us valuable insights into: Effective credit transfer models that can be adapted and expanded across our Pacific region, Policy frame that works that ensure consistency in qualification recognition, and Technology-driven solutions that enhances access to education, particularly for learners in remote areas.”

However, Minister Leokana emphasized that we must also acknowledge the existing challenges and problems we encounter including the need to: Aligning diverse national qualification system to ensure seamless credit transfer, addressing institutional hesitation in accepting non-traditional learning credentials, and bridging technology and infrastructure gaps that hinder equitable access to digital learning resources.

Minister Leokana stated that the workshop is an opportunity to collaboratively address these barriers. “By discussing how challenges have been overcome, and by learning from one another, we can refine our approaches and develop a more harmonized Pacific strategy for the credit transfer framework and micro-credential recognition.”

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-SINI Press Release