In 2025, the Ohio General Assembly mandated a comprehensive modernization of Ohio’s Industry-Recognized Credential (IRC) system. To carry out this legislative directive and design a system built on real-world impact, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) engaged over 1,000 statewide stakeholders through focus groups, interviews, and public surveys.
The resulting framework officially shifts Ohio away from the previous model where students earned 12 points within a designated career field to one that builds high-value, stackable credentials directly aligned with high-demand, high-wage careers.
Why the Change?
Under the new framework, credentials must serve as true “power pathways” that can be stacked, transferred, and directly open doors to regional employment opportunities rather than serving as single-endpoint checkboxes for high school graduation. [There were over 700 credentials available, which was overwhelming to schools, students, and families]
How ODEW Evaluates Credentials in the new system
ODEW evaluates credentials using 18 data points across four core pillars to determine credentials that will be acceptable on the revised state list.
- Occupational Demand (Mapped to SOC Codes): Credentials must align directly with up to three Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes. SOC codes are the standardized federal numerical system used by government agencies and businesses to classify workers into specific job categories and track occupation-specific hiring demand and projected 10-year job growth.
- Credential Demand: Real-time job market evidence analyzing how frequently credentials actually appear in active job postings across Ohio (scraped via Lightcast).
- Education Mobility: Articulation to postsecondary degree pathways, college credit eligibility (ITAGs), and postsecondary enrollment/attainment rates.
- Career Outcomes: State-collected data that measures the value of earning a credential, based on employment and wage information. This includes comparing earnings for individuals with a credential versus those without one, tracking expected wage potential, measuring how graduates remain employed after graduation, and identifying the additional earnings (earning premiums) associated with specific credentials.
New framework
- Point Accumulation Is Gone: Students will no longer earn credentials to hit a 12-point total.
- Standalone Credentials: Credentials that are deemed independently valuable qualify as their own high school graduation pathway. 70 standalone credentials are currently approved. The remaining 700+ credentials that were already on the list are considered bundle or standalone ‘eligible, but they can’t be used for graduation purposes unless they are specifically approved as a standalone credential or bundle through an upcoming application process. ODEW-approved list of standalone credentials
- Credential Bundles: A credential bundle is a combination of two or more approved, bundle-eligible credentials that, when earned together, meet the requirements for a high school graduation pathway. There are currently 21 approved credential bundles; each bundle consists of 2-4 specific credentials. All credentials that were previously included on the Industry-Recognized Credential (IRC) list are considered bundle eligible. However, if a credential is not already part of an approved bundle, it must be added to the state’s official bundle list before students can enroll in it as part of a credential bundle. Here is the full list of ODEW-approved bundle credentials.
- Note on Pre-Apprenticeships: Pre-apprenticeships are no longer classified as a 12-point IRC. They are no longer categorized as an IRC. They remain valuable under the competency-based graduation alternative.
Implementation Timeline for Schools
- Class of 2030 (Incoming 9th Graders): Must use the new standalone credential list or approved credential bundles to meet industry-recognized credentials (IRC) graduation pathway requirements.
- Grades 10–12 (Classes of 2027–2029): May continue utilizing the legacy 12-point system or transition to the updated framework.
Join the Conversation with EnvisionEdPlus
Whether you are a school district or an ESC that needs to understand the new system, an employer or member of an Industry Sector Partnership looking to secure your talent pipeline, or a credential vendor wanting to ensure your certifications remain accessible to Ohio students, these changes impact your work.
EnvisionEdPlus is hosting a free, 1-hour virtual conversation via Zoom on August 3rd, 2:30 to 3:30 PM. This session is specifically designed to help districts, ESCs, employers, industry sector partnerships, and vendors collaboratively unpack what these changes mean and outline immediate, practical next steps.
Register for the EnvisionEdPlus Zoom Conversation Here: https://events.humanitix.com/ohios-industry-credentials-are-changing
For broader state-level details, you can visit the ODEW Official IRC Page for full lists and resources. ODEW will also be hosting a virtual K-12 Industry-Recognized Credential Town Hall on Thursday, August 13, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. to present state updates and take questions from the field.
