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Ohioans can receive academic credit for credentials, experience As an adult student, working more than 30 hours each week while taking 15 semester hours of coursework at Lorain County Community College (LCCC), Robert Tennent was finding it challenging to balance work, school, and life. But a credit for credentials initiative through the Ohio Department of Higher Education, supported by the DeWine-Husted administration, has made things easier for him. Industry-Recognized Credential Transfer Assurance Guides – or ITAGs – are a way to award academic credit for already-earned credentials. This relatively new option impacts a broad range of high-demand career fields, including business technology, engineering and manufacturing, healthcare, information technology and cybersecurity, and transportation, with more to come. To learn more about qualifying credentials, visit transfercredit.ohio.gov/edu. Tennent was able to apply Microsoft certifications that he earned in the IT field, which aligned with ITAGs, for academic credit toward a degree. He studied for and completed the certifications on his own.
Robert Tennent, a student at Lorain County Community College in Elyria, Ohio.
“Being able to have those certifications count for college credit saved me time and money,” Tennent said. “And having this credit recognized is a great feeling for me. I thank Lorain County Community College for participating in the ITAG credit-for-credentials work.” LCCC President Marcia J. Ballinger, Ph.D., said implementing ITAGS is a way to meet students where they are in their academic journey.
WINTER 2024
