Outcomes in Ohio High Earning Industry Recognized Credentials - College or Career Readiness? Postsecondary and Labor Market Outcomes for Ohio High School Students Earning Industry-Recognized Credentials

Oct 15, 2026

Examines postsecondary education and labor market outcomes for Ohio high school students who earn industry-recognized credentials. The study analyzes cohorts from the high school classes of 2016 to 2022 to capture impacts of the state’s early credential policy rollout. Findings indicate credentials are associated with higher income soon after high school, with wage returns declining over time, and that some credentials retain value in students’ mid-twenties while others do not.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages64

Reading Time2 h 41 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword

Executive Summary

Introduction

Postsecondary Education Outcomes

The Labor Market—Employment and Wages

Discussion

References

Appendices

Outcomes Ohio High Earning Industry Recognized Credentials College or Career Readiness? Postsecondary and Labor Market Outcomes for Ohio High School Students Earning Industry-Recognized Credentials By Jay Plasman March 2026 College or Career Readiness? Postsecondary and Labor Market Outcomes for Ohio High School Students Earning Industry-Recognized Credentials By Jay Plasman March 2026 About the author Jay Plasman is the Director of Research of the Dennis Learning Center in the College of Education and Human Ecology and an associate professor in the Workforce Development and Education in the Department of Educational Studies at The Ohio State University. He formerly worked as a teacher at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Dr. Plasman also served as the Director of Education at a vocational training school for several years prior to earning his doctorate from the University of California Santa Barbara. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute promotes educational excellence for every child in America via quality research, analysis, and commentary, as well as advocacy and charter school authorizing in Ohio. It is affiliated with the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, and this publication is a joint project of the Foundation and the Institute. For further information, please visit our website [at www.fordhaminstitute.org](at www.fordhaminstitute.org) or write to the Institute at P.O. Box 82291, Columbus, OH 43202. The Institute is neither connected with nor sponsored by Fordham University. Contents Foreword 1 Executive Summary 5 Introduction 11 Postsecondary Education Outcomes 15 The Labor Market—Employment and Wages 17 Discussion 28 References 31 Appendices 34 Foreword By Aaron Churchill It’s not often that a conservative education secretary and a progressive teachers’ union boss see eye to eye. But such a convergence occurred last year, when Secretary Linda McMahon told a congressional committee that a“four-year college is not for everyone” and, a few months later, President Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers said almost the same thing in The New York Times. Rather than continuing to push a “college for all” approach, both voiced support for stronger career and technical education to help more young people transition from high school to the workforce. With bipartisan support from many governors and legislators, career and technical education has also risen on state policy agendas. Leaders have promoted industry-recognized credentials as a tool to validate students’technical skills and to aid transitions into the workforce. Here in Ohio, such credentials are used in three principal ways: (1) Students can use them to meet alternative high-school graduation requirements; (2) schools receive credit on the state report card when students earn them; and (3) schools receive extra state funding (currently up to $725 per credential) through the Innovative Workforce Incentive Program (IWIP). For graduation and report-card purposes, Ohio has approved an expansive list of 693 credentials tied to jobs in thirteen career clusters (e.g., agriculture, business, and healthcare). These credentials include anything from basic CPR and job-safety certificates to full occupational licenses. The state’s IWIP credentials are more selective—focusing on fields like IT and advanced manufacturing. Today, just 210 credentials qualify for these funds. With this trio of policies encouraging credentials in place, attainment has soared: 26 percent of Ohio’s class of 2024 earned credentials during high school, whereas just 2 percent of the class of 2014 did so.1 But how beneficial are such industry credentials for students? This is a critical question that state policymakers are wrestling with, yet only a handful of studies have shed light on their value. A prior Fordham Institute report found that credential earning in Texas was associated with modest wage increases in the year immediately

FAQs

What does the report study about Ohio students earning industry-recognized credentials?

It studies how credential earning during high school relates to later postsecondary education and labor market outcomes.

How are Ohio industry-recognized credentials used in the state?

They can meet alternative high-school graduation requirements, earn credit on the state report card, and qualify schools for extra funding through the Innovative Workforce Incentive Program (IWIP).

What are the report’s main findings on wage returns over time?

Credentials are linked to an income boost immediately after high school, but wage returns weaken as students reach their mid-twenties, and results vary by credential type.

Oct 15, 2026

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