DualCertify — Cross-border Dual Microcertificates
The shortage of skilled workers in Germany, which according to the Institute of the German Economy could lead to an estimated economic loss of up to 49 billion euros, hits future-oriented sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, cloud applications and digitalisation particularly hard. Both Saxony and the Czech Republic face the same challenge: university education is predominantly foundational in nature and does not adequately prepare young professionals for the practical demands of a rapidly changing labour market. There is a lack of recognised, practice-oriented proof of technical skills in these key areas — proof that is valid in both countries and gives graduates a concrete advantage on the labour market.
The DualCertify project develops and pilots cross-border micro-certificates that connect theoretical university knowledge with practice-oriented application. In close coordination with the needs of the job market, we and J. E. Puryňě University are designing three courses—Cloud Applications, AI Applications, and Digitalization—each as a four-day in-person training program with accompanying mentors from both partners. The distinctive feature is dual certification: the micro-certificate is equally recognised in Germany and the Czech Republic, confirming technical skills and practical competences upon passing the subject knowledge examination. Each course is attended by 20 German and 20 Czech participants. In the second project year, an additional online run of all three courses will be piloted to ensure long-term sustainability.
Project Partners
The joint cross-border project is carried out by two partners under the Interreg Saxony – Czech Republic | Czech Republic – Saxony 2021–2027 programme, jointly developing and delivering dual micro-credentials in the fields of AI applications, cloud applications, and digitalisation. The consortium is led by Technische Universität Chemnitz.
-
Technische Universität Chemnitz (Lead Partner)
Contact: Dr. Ariane Heller
-
Univerzita J. E. Purkyně v Ústí nad Labem (UJEP)
Contact: Petr Lauterbach
The project is funded under Interreg Sachsen – Tschechien | Česko – Sasko 2021–2027, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), administered by the Sächsische Aufbaubank – Förderbank – (SAB) as Gemeinsames Sekretariat / Joint Secretariat.
Publications
Publications.
