The application process is now open for the Ohio AgriBusiness Association (OABA) Credential, a program providing qualifying secondary students an approved, industry-recognized credential. The new program will verify students’ expertise in the areas of agriculture, agribusiness and production systems.
Once approved by the Ohio Department of Education, this credential may be paired with a workforce readiness score through WorkKeys, a job skills assessment system measuring real-world skills, as a pathway to graduation for high school students.
The link for students to apply for the credential can be found at: http://goo.gl/forms/Cdy9QmAKYQ. Verification of Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE) competency hours will be required. More information is found on the application.
The list of applicants will be reviewed prior to the June 15th OABA Board Meeting where they will be approved by the OABA Board. The link will remain open throughout the year and applicants will be reviewed on a quarterly basis. Students who are approved for the credential will receive a certificate emailed to them directly from OABA. If you have any questions, please contact Matt Winkle at matthew.winkle@education.ohio.gov.
To be eligible for the program, a student must be enrolled in a career-technical agricultural program and complete three of the following courses, where they are engaged in learning and applying technical skills in foundational agricultural concepts:
Students are also required to complete a course in Business Management for Agricultural & Environmental Systems or Global Economics & Marketing of Food. These upper-level courses test students’ knowledge of global agriculture marketing and business principles applied in agribusiness.
To be considered, a student’s SAE must be an entrepreneurial, placement, or research-driven project pertaining to the agriculture industry. The student must document at least 500 hours of work on their project(s) and identify the Ohio Agricultural & Environmental Systems Career Field Technical Content Standards achieved through their SAE.
For more information about the Ohio AgriBusiness Association credential, contact Margo Long at 614-326-7520 or mlong@oaba.net.