The ACE Apprenticeship Pathways Project is designed to strengthen postsecondary and employer connections nationally
Apprentices who complete one of 10 selected programs around the country will be guaranteed to earn college credit at six participating institutions, thanks to a rigorous and in-depth evaluation by ACE's Credit Recommendation Service.
The Apprenticeship Pathways Project will now move into the next phase of the pilot program, which eventually will be made available to other companies, opening up pathways with other two- and four-year colleges.
The results of the evaluations will be represented in ACE-endorsed badges and transcripts on the Credly platform, which translates learners' knowledge, skills, and achievements into digital credentials.
The goal of the project, which was announced in October and is funded by a generous grant from the Charles Koch Foundation, is to provide apprentices an opportunity to accelerate credential attainment, help employers meet their talent needs, and assist postsecondary institutions to connect with highly motivated learners.
“On-the-job training provides pathways to employment for non-traditional candidates, particularly underserved learners, and those that may not have advanced degrees or experience and opens up the talent pipeline, which is greatly needed right now," said Susan Moyer, associate director for Apprenticeships at ACE.
ACE selected the following high-quality apprenticeship programs to participate in the pilot process:
Apprentices participating in WIA's Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship program will have a
chance to earn 14 college credits at community colleges nationwide, which is almost a quarter of the way toward an associate degree.
IBM apprentices will be able to translate their 12 months of on-the-job training for up to 45 college credits, or roughly three semesters of college coursework, from participating academic institutions.
To learn more about each program and the number of credit recommendations each program and individual course can be located in the
ACE National Guide database. If you are an apprenticeship sponsor interested in participating in an apprenticeship program evaluation, please connect with us today.
In addition to selecting the pilot apprenticeship programs, ACE has also connected with six colleges and universities that have agreed to accept credit recommendations from students who complete apprenticeship programs through our pilot. These institutions will develop policies and procedures to promote acceptance of apprenticeship credit recommendations, with the hopes of forging a connected learning network of apprenticeship providers, learners, and postsecondary institutions.
The institutions participating in the ACE Apprenticeship Pathways pilot include:
Colleges and universities not among this pilot group may still articulate apprenticeship credit recommendations toward degree or certification programs. Learn more and connect with us
here.