Many state agencies and college systems are engaged in initiatives to expand the opportunities for individuals to earn college credit for prior learning. Awarding college credit for industry credentials, military training, and other types of prior learning can establish on-ramps into college and build on the knowledge and skills that individuals bring with them. In 2021, the Ohio Department of Higher Education established a new process to ensure that Ohioans could receive college credit for industry credentials at public colleges across the state.
The authors partnered with the Ohio Department of Higher Education to build evidence around its new initiative to scale credit for industry credentials. The authors first describe the national population of individuals in the country with industry credentials who would most likely enroll in college — the likely beneficiaries of credit for industry credentials policies. They then explore evidence from Ohio on what messages and messengers might be the most promising for outreach about college credit for industry credentials. Finally, the authors describe how Ohio conducted state and community college outreach around the new initiative. The authors’ findings may be relevant to state agencies and college systems across the United States that are pursuing similar credit for prior learning initiatives.
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