Microcredential Development for Malawi and Zambia hosted by Erasmus + SEED project
Malawian and Zambian partners joined Irish partners in Maynooth University for a successful training mobility in the Erasmus+ Capacity Building project SEED: “Capacity building for Sustainable community-based Enterprise Development” (2025-2027).
Led by the Department of Adult and Community Education, in collaboration with ICARUS, the Microcredentials Office and others in Maynooth University (MU), Ireland, we worked together to develop a new structure for community-based microcredentials in the Malawian and Zambian higher education systems. This ambitious initiative brings together a consortium of seven partners from Europe and Africa, committed to tackling climate change challenges and fostering sustainable community enterprises in Malawi and Zambia through the capacity-building potential of microcredential courses.
About SEED
SEED aims to build the capacities of Higher Education Institutions in Malawi and Zambia to collaborate with local communities, enterprises, agricultural advisors, and governments to co-design and implement climate-responsive micro-credential courses. The project strives to enhance climate resilience, entrepreneurial skills, and sustainable economic growth in rural communities.
Key objectives include:
- Co-designing micro-credentials addressing local climatic and market needs.
- Enhancing graduate and professional competencies for climate resilience.
- Strengthening the link between academic innovation and societal needs.
The project, officially launched on 1 January 2025, will run until 31 December 2027.
Microcredentials Training Mobility highlights
The week-long training provided an opportunity for partners to develop a shared vision and processes for the introduction of microcredentials in the Malawian and Zambian higher education systems.
These responsive microcredentials are based in a collaboration between HEIs from different countries, informed by a participative approach with local communities.
They are based in the needs for climate-sensitive, sustainable local enterprise focus and informed by fieldtrips to community-based local agricultural initiatives in Ireland
The next steps include developing training sessions and materials on microcredential development for the Zambian and Malawian context, before testing and validating the initial courses.
The SEED Consortium
This project is powered by a dynamic collaboration between the following partners:
- Maynooth University (MU), Ireland
- University of Naples Federico II (UNINA), Italy
- Institut de Haute Formation aux Politiques Communautaires (IHF), Belgium
- Mzuzu University (MZU), Malawi
- University of Livingstonia (Unilia), Malawi
- Mulungushi University (MUL), Zambia
- Kwame Nkrumah University (KNU), Zambia
For more info about the project, contact us in the Department of Adult and Community Education, Maynooth University bernie.grummell@mu.ie, margaret.nugent@mu.ie and ann.smith@mu.ie
