Microcredentials as a Sociological Phenomenon: Transformation of Lifelong Learning in the Digital Society

Transformation of lifelong learning in the Digital Society

Abstract

Microcredentials are increasingly discussed as an emerging phenomenon of the digital society, reflecting broader transformations in the ways knowledge, skills and employability are recognised and validated. This paper examines the role of microcredentials through a systematic literature review of scientific articles indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, conducted using the PRISMA methodology. The study focuses on how academic research conceptualises microcredentials and how they relate to contemporary changes in education systems, labour markets and lifelong learning. The analysis combines stakeholder mapping with thematic coding focused on recognition, institutional trust, labour-market alignment, and social inequality. The findings indicate that microcredentials create flexible opportunities for reskilling and upskilling and support more modular and demand-oriented forms of learning. From a sociological perspective, microcredentials can be understood as a mechanism through which education systems adapt to digital transformation and labour market pressures. The paper contributes to the broader discussion on how digitalisation reshapes lifelong learning and the institutional structures that govern access to recognised competencies.