The aim, explained Rosa Bolea, rector of the University of Zaragoza, is to “respond to the demand in our region and provide the training our region requires at any given time.” The program will therefore both reskill people currently in work, from the sector itself or related fields, and bring in new talent. “What we do not want is to have this industry here while our people are unable to apply for jobs in it if they wish to do so,” Bolea stressed.
The program includes 39 microcredentials covering the design and construction of facilities, electrical and cooling infrastructure, security, networks and systems, sustainability and energy efficiency, and data center operations and maintenance. To meet the needs of each stage, training focused on data center construction will be introduced first, as the need for professionals is most urgent in this area.
FIVE PATHWAYS, 39 MICROCREDENTIALS
Javier Fabra, vice rector for Digital Strategy and Artificial Intelligence, outlined the five pathways that make up the program. They are structured through stackable microcredentials and offer different formats and approaches. The pathways range from 12 to 29 ECTS credits and are fully stackable, with microcredentials shared among them. This means each one can be taken independently, accumulated to complete a pathway, or combined to build the profile required by each company.
Together, the 39 microcredentials cover the entire data center value chain: Data Center Operations (DCO), Semiconductor Technology and Hardware for Data Centers, the Integrated Operations + Hardware Pathway, Fiber Optics and Networking Technician for Data Centers, and Mechatronics and Automation of Data Center Infrastructure.
The teaching staff combines personnel from the University of Zaragoza, the School of Engineering and Architecture (EINA), and the University School of Engineering of La Almunia (Eupla), with active professionals from the sector, both from Aragon’s business community and from outside the region. For Fabra, the university’s goal is to “combine the academic rigor and quality assurance provided by the University with the experience of those who build and operate data centers every day, who will bring the real-world perspective they have gained on the ground.”
DESIGNED WITH INDUSTRY AND SELF-FINANCED
The program was developed in dialogue with the leading technology providers investing in Aragon. The University of Zaragoza is also planning to open an AI Incubator, an incubator for artificial intelligence applied to data centers that will promote collaboration between the university, industry and research.
The microcredentials are self-financed training, supported by the tuition fees paid by participants. University officials said prices will be around 200 euros, depending on the number of people enrolling in each microcredential. Several companies in the sector have already expressed their willingness to fund their employees’ training through the program, and the university is in contact with various organizations and employers so they can include this offering in their training, reskilling and employment plans.
WHY MICROCREDENTIALS
Microcredentials are brief learning experiences of fewer than 15 ECTS credits, designed to provide specific knowledge, skills and competencies that address concrete labor market needs. Their learning outcomes are validated through a transparent assessment and supported by the University’s Internal Quality Assurance System.
Each microcredential is issued in digital format, following the European Learning Model standard, and certified on the Europass platform with the seal of the University of Zaragoza’s governing body. This makes them portable, verifiable and shareable credentials: they belong to the person who earns them, can be presented to any employer in the European Union, and can be accumulated to build broader educational pathways.
For companies, this model makes it possible to train their teams flexibly and modularly, when they need it and in the exact competencies required, without the time commitment of a full degree. For professionals, it offers an agile way to update and certify their skills throughout their working lives. The complete range of microcredentials, including enrollment and scheduling information for each pathway as it is published, can be found on the University of Zaragoza website.
A UNIVERSITY PIONEERING MICROCREDENTIALS
The rector stressed that the program builds on an established track record. The University of Zaragoza is a pioneer in microcredentials in Spain. During the 2023-2024 academic year, the university issued more than 4,500 digital microcredentials, making it the university “that has issued the most digital microcredentials in the entire Spanish university system,” Bolea said.
The university has also recently completed the Ministry’s Microcreds Plan, financed with European Next Generation funds through the Government of Aragon and aimed at training and reskilling adults between the ages of 28 and 65. As a result of this plan and its regular training programs, the university has now surpassed 10,000 digital microcredentials certified through Europass.
For Rosa Bolea, “microcredentials are not a trend or an experiment; they are training we are providing now and they are the training of the immediate future, with greater agility than official qualifications. They are a response that Europe has placed within our reach so that we can address demands that are becoming increasingly fast-moving.”
