COLUMBUS — Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel and Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor Mike Duffey announced last week that more high school students will now be able to take College Credit Plus classes and earn free college credit to pursue careers in high-demand fields.

ODHE recently established a waiver that eliminates barriers that previously prevented some high school students from taking part in Ohio’s CCP program. The goal of the waiver is to provide more students with pathways to earn an industry-recognized credential or certificate tied to high-demand career fields including advanced manufacturing and more.

“As we continue our work to strengthen Ohio’s workforce pipeline, one of our top goals is to provide as many of our students as possible the chance to gain experience in the jobs that will define Ohio’s future,” said Lt. Gov. Tressel, who announced the new waiver during a meeting of the Governor’s Executive Workforce Board at Columbus State Community College.

“The expansion of College Credit Plus eligibility will give more of our home-grown talent an affordable pathway to high-demand careers like advanced manufacturing and others, and will allow us, as a state, to be ready to fill the jobs we need to fill.”

Tressel made the announcement about the new Statewide Innovative Waiver during a meeting of the Govenor’s Executive Workforce Board on Thursday. The meeting was held at Columbus State Community College — one of the first institutions approved for the waiver.

The Statewide Innovative Waiver is available to all public two-year and four-year colleges and universities, as well as independent campuses.

Columbus State, Sinclair Community College, and Lorain County Community College are the first schools in Ohio to receive approval to utilize the waiver. For students who participate in CCP at one of these schools, the waiver will eliminate requirements that students achieve a cumulative unweighted 3.0 grade point average or pass placement tests before taking CCP courses.

“Ohio’s fastest-growing jobs include engineering technician roles connected to advanced manufacturing,” Duffey said. “Our Statewide Innovative Waiver opens this opportunity to many more K-12 students who want to get a head start on the jobs of the future.