Relatively speaking. Microcredentials are being actively promoted by the Australian Government to meet growing demand for short-form courses that enable adults, especially those who already have a qualification, to upskill rapidly in an area of interest to them. They have been trialed by some of the universities while the government was building the marketplace platform.

This is a set of principles agreed upon by a national working party and released at the end of 2021 as a Framework. See them here: National Microcredentials Framework

Individual courses marketed as microcredentials do not have to be approved by any authority in the same way as national qualifications. However, they should meet the baseline requirements to use the descriptor 'microcredential'. Check that the main elements listed above are part of the marketing description.

The Australian Government has developed a platform to act as a marketplace where viewers can locate and compare these short courses. Check out MyCredSeeker to see the wide range of subjects, delivery options, and course pricing.

Visit: MyCredSeeker

No. Some courses that offer a microcredential are over 12 weeks in duration. A micro course is a snippet of learning focused on a specific aspect of a larger topic, and it usually only has one learning outcome.