ACE Grants IBM's Apprenticeship Ability to Transfer College Credits

American Council on Education and IBM will translate their current 12-month apprenticeship program into college credit.

Image of student working on a semiconductor.
Elizabeth Earin

Elizabeth Earin

As Head of Marketing at ApprentiScope, Elizabeth Earin helps bridge the gap between workforce innovation and communication, empowering organizations to better share the value and impact of apprenticeship programs. With more than 20 years in marketing strategy and a personal connection to the skilled trades through her husband’s career as an electrician, she’s passionate about expanding access to career pathways beyond the traditional four-year degree.

In a joint effort with the American Council on Education computer hardware company IBM will be allowed to translate their current 12-month apprenticeship program into college credit. The program that typically runs the equivalent of three traditional college semesters will now allow participants to turn their on-the-job-training into a total of 45 college credits at participating universities across the country. IBM will allow past and present participants to apply their credits providing a unique opportunity to young people across the nation.

“Amid the pandemic, industry leaders nationwide are rethinking their approach towards education, skills training and hiring. Apprenticeships have become an increasingly critical element in the country’s skills portfolio because they can rapidly provide more people with access to new career opportunities, all while continuing to earn a paycheck,” said Kelli Jordan, Director of skills, career and performance at IBM. “This validation by ACE reaffirms the impact of IBM’s apprenticeship model and its ability to provide an opportunity to learn in-demand technical skills that can lead to some of technology’s fastest growing careers without taking on student debt or taking time away from the workplace.”

Over the apprenticeships tenure IBM has trained almost 1,000 apprentices across 17 states and 30 cities with its apprenticeship model, allowing their participants to choose from 25 different tracks. In a recent study conducted by the World Economic Forum it was found that closing the global skills gap could add up to $11.5 trillion by 2028 and as long as educational tools and training models in place can keep up this kind of growth is attainable.

Read full article here: https://chicagodefender.com/ibm-apprenticeship-program-validated-to-allow-up-to-45-college-credits-for-participants/

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