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MCMC 2026 in Amsterdam – first masterclass day recap

William O'Keeffe Policy officer European Commission delivered the opening keynote at MCMC 2026 in Amsterdam.

MCMC 2026 opened on Wednesday at Amstelcampus in Amsterdam, co-hosted with Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS). Bram van de Kruk, Project Lead on Micro-Credentials at AUAS, welcomed participants on behalf of the co-organiser. Anthony F. Camilleri, KIC co-founder, then set the scene for the two days ahead.

Stefan Jahnke, Senior Research and Project Manager at KIC, ran the opening icebreaker. The room was on its feet and talking within minutes.

Opening keynotes

William O’Keeffe (Policy Officer, European Commission) and Tom Wambeke (Chief Learning Innovation Officer, ITCILO) delivered the opening keynotes. One question ran through both talks: how do we build credential systems that learners and employers trust?

Theme 1: Trust in the system

Willem van Valkenburg, Executive Director of TU Delft Extension School, opened the first theme.

Session 1a focused on quality assurance from a provider perspective. Annechien Langevoord (AUAS) and Thomas Korner (Zurich University of Applied Sciences, ZHAW) shared what holds up once you move beyond pilots. Warren George and Joep Baars from International Baccalaureate looked at designing high-quality micro-credentials at scale.

Session 1b tackled recognition frameworks. Michał Nowakowski (Educational Research Institute, Poland) explored micro-credentials as a tool for lifelong learning. Merel Eimers (Nuffic) examined how actual learning outcomes drive recognition. Alessandra Antonaci (EADTU) revisited the Common Microcredential Framework, covering trust, recognition, and portability.

Gavin Clinch and Dr Kelvin Bentley ran the MC Studio session. Clinch (Atlantic Technological University Ireland) and Dr Bentley from NASH (National Association of Higher Education Systems) showed how industry micro-credentials can work inside higher education. The session was live, hands-on, and built on real partnerships.

Theme 2: Innovation forward

Florian Rampelt (KI-Campus) and Chris Purifoy (Learning Economy Foundation) opened the second theme. Their keynotes asked where technology is reshaping education — and where limits are needed.

Session 2a explored portability technology. Karsten Böhm (Fachhochschule Kufstein Tirol) presented on making competence visible with GenAI. Peter Eikelboom (SURF) gave a live demonstration of digital wallets and verifiable credentials in education. Sebastjan Pirih and Melita Gulja from Netis Group addressed the trust gap in a portable skills economy.

Session 2b focused on alliances and recognition. Ana Tecilazić (Algebra Bernays University) presented on joint micro-credentials through the DIVERSE European University Alliance. Elsbeth Vonkeman (Vereniging Hogescholen) explored recognition for non-formal education. Johan Peterson (Linköping University, European Consortium of Innovative Universities) joined via video to speak on scaling micro-credentials through European alliances.

Tim Couper and Xavi Aracil from 1EdTech joined Anthony F. Camilleri in the MC Studio. Together they demonstrated open and decentralised skills exchange at global scale.

Interactive session: micro-credentials in practice

The day closed with a fishbowl discussion: Micro-credentials in practice — international perspectives.

Petri Liukkonen (JAMK University of Applied Sciences) spoke on dialogue with working life. Dónal Grimes (Skillnet Ireland) presented the Skills4Retail approach to layering qualifications. Josef Spillner (M-Cred) shared lessons from taking policy-compliant micro-credentials from research to production.

Blanca Gordo Pérez (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya) presented on designing micro-credentials for soft skills. The format worked: speakers shared openly, and pointed questions from the audience kept the conversation grounded.

MCMC continues on Thursday 26 February with themes 3 and 4: Credentials for all and Skills on the move.

Follow us on LinkedIn for updates, or visit the MCMC 2026 website for more information.
See also the full programme.

MCMC 2026 is organised by Knowledge Innovation Centre (KIC) and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS). The conference runs 24-26 February 2026 in Amsterdam.

Participants discussing using the fishbowl method, where one group sits in an inner circle to converse, while the rest of the participants observe from an outer ring. The discussions focused on The role of dialogue with working life, The Skills4Retail approach, From Research to Production: Rapid Rollout of Policy-Compliant Mcs and Designing Micro-Credentials for Soft Skills: Scalable, Learner-Centric Frameworks for Employability and Lifelong Learning
Participants discussing using the fishbowl method, where one group sits in an inner circle to converse, while the rest of the participants observe from an outer ring. The discussions focused on The role of dialogue with working life, The Skills4Retail approach, From Research to Production: Rapid Rollout of Policy-Compliant Mcs and Designing Micro-Credentials for Soft Skills: Scalable, Learner-Centric Frameworks for Employability and Lifelong Learning
Participants discussing using the fishbowl method, where one group sits in an inner circle to converse, while the rest of the participants observe from an outer ring. The discussions focused on The role of dialogue with working life, The Skills4Retail approach, From Research to Production: Rapid Rollout of Policy-Compliant Mcs and Designing Micro-Credentials for Soft Skills: Scalable, Learner-Centric Frameworks for Employability and Lifelong Learning
Participants discussing using the fishbowl method, where one group sits in an inner circle to converse, while the rest of the participants observe from an outer ring. The discussions focused on The role of dialogue with working life, The Skills4Retail approach, From Research to Production: Rapid Rollout of Policy-Compliant Mcs and Designing Micro-Credentials for Soft Skills: Scalable, Learner-Centric Frameworks for Employability and Lifelong Learning
Leopold Štefanič, project officer at KIC, facilitated the interactive fishbowl session.
Thomas Korner, Head of Innovation Lab for Academic Affairs and lecturer at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW ) presenting Micro-Credentials Beyond Pilots: What Holds Up in Practice
Michał Nowakowski, project leader at the Educational Research Institute talked about recognising recognition — micro-credentials as a tool for lifelong learning (the Polish approach)
Gavin Clinch, Head of Innovation for Online Learning at the Atlantic Technological University Ireland talekd about Plug, Play, and Partner: Making Industry Micro-Credentials Work in Higher Education
Ana Tecilazić, Vice-Rector for quality at Algebra Bernays University talked about Micro-Credentials Beyond Borders: Exploring Joint Micro-Credentials through the DIVERSE European University Alliance
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