As a reliable authority on educational quality, ACCSC's EWS Programmatic Certification establishes standards against which career education programs can be assessed on how they comprehensively address specific essential workforce skills to ultimately enhance student success in the workforce. The standards align with ACCSC's explicitly stated core principles, mission, vision, and values. They serve as guiding principles to assist programs in meaningful and critical self-evaluation pertaining to the workforce competency component of ACCSC's high-quality framework for career education programs.
Demonstrate the program has been designed to ensure all students develop the skills identified in the ACCSC workforce competency areas required for the EWS programmatic distinction level sought. (Level II requires program alignment to all six competency areas. Level I requires program alignment to four competency areas of the institution's choosing.)
Evidence Submission: Submit a written explanation of how the program is designed such that all students develop the identified skills required for the EWS programmatic distinction level sought. Provide sufficient evidence that the skills the program addresses are indicated in writing and made known to students, such as a link to a web page, a student catalog, or other official institutional or programmatic documents.
A. Demonstrate that all students engage in learning activities to apply all identified essential workforce skills.
Evidence Submission: Complete and submit ACCSC's Competency-Program Alignment Map along with appropriate supporting artifacts. Artifacts must demonstrate that all students engage in learning activities to apply all identified essential workforce skills.
B. Demonstrate that career and workforce competency support services and resources are provided and integrated throughout the program.
Evidence Submission: Provide a written justification explaining how the breadth and depth of support services and resources are appropriate for the program, how they're integrated so that all students use them, how services are documented and determined to be effective, and how support staff are determined to be qualified. Provide sufficient evidence to support what's stated in the written justification.
Demonstrate all students graduate with evidence that they've developed, practiced, and can articulate the skills encompassed in the workforce competency areas required for the EWS programmatic distinction level sought.
Evidence Submission: Submit documentation of policies, procedures, and program standards to show that the school has a well-defined and structured process to assess student workforce skills and that students graduate with evidence indicating they've developed and practiced the skills and can articulate their skills to employers.
Demonstrate the school systematically engages in program evaluation and continuous program improvements related to the skills encompassed in the workforce competency areas required for the EWS programmatic distinction level sought.
Evidence Submission: Submit a written explanation of how feedback is gathered from each stakeholder and is used for continuously evaluating and improving the program. Provide supporting evidence that feedback is systematically collected from each stakeholder group.