Bill creates credentials of value list

Summary#

HB 1030 would amend Ohio Revised Code sections 122.178 and 4141.162 and create a new section, 122.1714. Its stated goal is to identify credentials with measurable value to workers and Ohio’s workforce; the bill does not guarantee that a credential will lead to a job or higher pay.

  • The director of development must create and publish a list of approved “credentials of value.” A credential must meet criteria including measurable return on investment, employer recognition, positive employment and wage outcomes, and portability across employers.
  • The director must adopt rules within 180 days after the new section takes effect. The rules must set the review method, performance measures, and processes for submitting, approving, denying, suspending, and removing credentials.
  • The bill links that list to TechCred: the chancellor of higher education may approve a microcredential for TechCred only if it is on the director’s list, and the director may approve a TechCred employer application only if its microcredential is on the chancellor’s list.
  • The director of job and family services must, on request, share wage and claim information with the director of development for credential reviews, but only under a written data-sharing agreement that meets federal standards.
  • The director must publish an annual report on listed credentials, industries served, employment and wage outcomes, and other relevant performance information.

What it means for you#

  • Employers seeking TechCred reimbursement: The credential used in an application must be on both the director’s credentials-of-value list and the chancellor’s microcredential list. The bill does not require employers to participate.
  • Workers and credential earners: The new list is intended to focus on credentials with evidence of value. Being on the list does not guarantee employment or a wage increase.
  • People seeking help through the Individual Microcredential Assistance Program: No publicly available information in the supplied bill text shows a direct change to that program.
  • Ohio agencies: The development and job and family services directors have new list, rulemaking, reporting, and data-sharing duties. The bill creates no new independent agency.

Money#

No publicly available information on estimated costs or funding for the new list, rules, reports, or data-sharing work.

  • The bill requires these duties but gives no staffing or cost estimate and makes no appropriation in the supplied text.
  • The supplied TechCred text says reimbursements come from appropriations made for that purpose and are capped at $2,000 per microcredential. The supplied materials do not establish whether that cap or other TechCred provisions are new or changed by this bill.

What is unclear#

  • The supplied materials do not include the parent law or a marked-up comparison showing which parts of the amended sections are new. The extent of changes to existing TechCred rules therefore cannot be verified.
  • Although the title mentions the Individual Microcredential Assistance Program, the supplied operative text does not show a change to that program.
  • The director’s required rules will determine how return on investment, employment outcomes, and other criteria are measured. The bill does not specify those methods.
  • The bill does not provide an effective date in the supplied text or say how many credentials will be reviewed or how long reviews will take.

Case for#

  • A single public list with stated criteria could help workers and employers compare credentials using evidence about wages, employment, and employer recognition.
  • Requiring credentials to be portable and stackable may favor options that do not tie workers to one employer or training provider.
  • Access to wage and claim information could help the state assess outcomes, subject to a written agreement meeting federal standards.
  • Requiring annual public reports could give workers, employers, and policymakers information about listed credentials and their reported outcomes.

Case against#

  • The bill gives the director broad room to set measurement rules and add criteria. Those decisions could affect which credentials qualify for TechCred.
  • Credentials with limited outcome data may have trouble meeting the criteria, even if workers or employers value them; the bill does not explain how missing or incomplete data will be handled.
  • The bill requires new administrative work but provides no cost estimate, staffing plan, or appropriation in the supplied text.
  • The bill does not explain how this new list would interact with the Individual Microcredential Assistance Program, despite the title naming that program.