ACC allows easier process to earn college credit for past work experience
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ALPENA -- A new policy will make it easier for Alpena Community College students to use prior apprenticeships and other certifications as college credit.
Policy 4042 Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) was approved unanimously by the ACC Board of Trustees at their regular meeting in August.
It will replace policies 4017 College Level Examination Program Policy and 4018 Non Traditional Credit Evaluation Policy. The new policy will allow academic credit to be earned through verifiable college level learning gained through professional learning, work experience, military service, industry certifications, and other experiential learning opportunities that align with ACC course outcomes and degree requirements.
Listed in the policy are accepted credentials. Those include standardized examinations, such as Advanced Placement (AP) tests; examination (departmental); military training and experience via American Council on Education (ACE) guidelines; industry apprenticeships, certifications, and licensures; articulated workforce training; and portfolio-based assessments.
The CPL process is intended to increase access and accelerate credential completion by expanding opportunities for credit attainment and ensure equitable, transparent, and consistent evaluation of college-level learning achieved outside the classroom, according to the CPL policy.
ACC Vice President of Instruction Paige Gordier said the change from the two old policies will make it easier for students to earn college credit from other work experiences such as apprenticeships.
She said the policy change came after the college formed a new relationship with Kalitta Air out of Oscoda. Kalitta offers a 2.5 year Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) technician apprenticeship program. Once they complete that apprenticeship, students take five more classes at ACC to earn their full certification.
Gordier said that ACC has offered credit for quite awhile for their electrical and journeyman/linemen programs.
"We just wanted to clarify the policy to make it more usable for training in the field," Gordier said. "The old policy made it so each individual coming in had to have everything evaluated separately."
With the new policy, evaluation can be done in a broader sense. It's already determined how existing apprenticeships count towards college credit.
Besides apprenticeships, students can make a portfolio of their job experience. If a student has a professional certificate, for instance from OSHA, they can use that for credit as well.
The new policy makes it a "seamless, easy" process for students to earn that extra credit, Gordier said.
The policy comes at a good time as anyone in Michigan 21 or older who does not already have a college degree can earn their degree with full or partial funding from the state through Michigan Reconnect.
Gordier said when they first started offering credit for electric/lineman apprenticeships they were probably the first program in the state to do so. They were also the first to work with Kalitta and tailor credits for prior learning to their program.
She said that the state is encouraging more recognition of apprenticeships.