National apprenticeship week is just about finished (Nov. 17-23) and Thomas Edison State University joined industry partners and fellow institutions in celebrating the transformative role of workforce training and its growing alignment with college-level learning.
TESU said that in fiscal year 2024 alone, the university evaluated more than 293,000 credits for adult learners through Prior Learning Assessments. These assessments, a hallmark of TESU’s expertise in recognizing college-level learning wherever it occurs, led to an average of 42 credits awarded to each student engaged in PLA opportunities—potentially saving a collective of more than $123 million in tuition.
Thomas Tiseo’s journey exemplifies this connection. He leveraged credits from his Eastern Atlantic States Carpenters Technical Center (EASCTC) apprenticeship to earn his Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Construction and Facilities Support degree at TESU this year.
“When I learned about the NJ PLACE grant support offered by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development for trade apprentices pursuing a college degree at TESU, I seized the opportunity,” Tiseo said. “Credits for my EASCTC apprenticeship training gave me a 35-credit head start on my AAS degree. It was the perfect pathway and shows my students that they are not forced to choose between a trade and a college degree – they can have both.”
Since its founding in 1972, TESU has prioritized recognizing and evaluating college-level learning outside of an academic setting.
The University’s Office of Professional Learning Reviews (OPLR) has expanded this model from individual assessments to a comprehensive, programmatic approach. Professional Learning Reviews (PLRs) convert workplace training into credit, enabling adult learners like Tiseo to apply training in construction methods, blueprinting, code interpretation, safety, and building sustainability toward their degrees. His $3,771 NJ PLACE grant further reduced tuition costs and expedited his time to graduation.
Student success in leveraging PLRs figures prominently in the university’s enduring educational partnerships with government, aviation, transportation, health care, banking, IT and cybersecurity, law enforcement, sustainable/green building, energy, and business sectors and all branches of the U.S. military.
“We are proud to facilitate educational and career advancement for students like Mr. Tiseo,” Jeffrey Harmon, vice provost for Strategic Initiatives and Institutional Effectiveness and interim dean of the Heavin School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Education at TESU, said. “Recognizing college-level learning in varied environments is central to our mission. The 10th anniversary of National Apprenticeship Week underscores the importance of expanding our mutual efforts in maximizing workforce training.”
The University’s recent prior learning evaluations include:
JetBlue Aviation training
New Jersey Certified Public Manager program
New Jersey State Police Academy
Nuclear Regulatory Commission training
Occupational Safety and Health Administration certifications
Port Authority of New York/New Jersey Police Academy
United Parcel Service automotive training
U.S. Special Operations Command IT training
