Could Microsoft’s LinkedIn revolutionize competency-based learning?

Higher education consultants say the Microsoft and LinkedIn pairing may change the competency game.

LinkedIn has the user data and focus on competency-based employment skills and career advancement. Microsoft has the computational ability to turn CBE into an HR goldmine. So will the Microsoft and LinkedIn pairing yield the innovation and validation needed to propel competency-based learning to its full revolutionary potential?

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Key Points:

• Higher education investment companies say Microsoft’s acquisition of LinkedIn has the potential to change the way employers hand-pick future employees via online learning credentials.
• Consultants say LinkedIn is the only place where hundreds of millions of people voluntarily giving their longitudinal job and education history—which could allow for unique analyses of what certifications actually lead to improved career paths.
• Though consultants say Microsoft likely has “too much to lose by competing against traditional universities,” with whom it has close partnerships, it could easily dominate the corporate training market.

(Next page: Overview of what college and university career credentialing programs should know about the Microsoft and LinkedIn pairing)