Industry-Recognized Credentials

Credentials are important milestones for many individual career pathways. Both at the secondary and postsecondary levels, students should have the opportunity to earn education- and work-related credentials that verify skill mastery, educational attainment and the ability to perform a task or operation. Credentials are also valuable to employers, allowing them to determine the skill or education level of job applicants without having to perform an assessment for each one.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor (2010), an education- and work-related credential can be defined as a verification of an individual’s qualification or competence issued by a third party with the relevant authority to issue such credentials. Credentials include educational certificates, degrees, certifications and government-issued licenses.

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Definition

An industry-recognized credential (IRC) is a certification that has been widely acknowledged as holding value within a specific industry or field. Recipients of such credentials have demonstrated that they possess the knowledge, skills and competencies required to perform specific tasks or roles within that industry. IRCs are awarded by certifying bodies, trade associations or professional organizations that have established standards for proficiency and knowledge within that domain. Designed as a validation of an individual’s expertise, IRCs serve as a trusted benchmark for employers and stakeholders.

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Purpose

By earning an IRC, individuals enhance their employability and professional credibility as well as their career advancement prospects. IRCs are developed in close collaboration with industry experts to ensure outcomes align with current and future job market needs. In offering IRCs, districts effectively equip students with specific in-demand knowledge and skills employers are seeking. Alignment of IRCs to district Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways allows students to explore diverse career paths while gaining exposure to different industries and real-world skills and experiences that may help shape their career trajectories. IRCs can also foster stronger partnerships between districts and local businesses, community organizations, and post-secondary education organizations. These partnerships may help develop or strengthen increased collaboration in areas such as work-based learning opportunities for students.

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Approved Industry-Recognized Credentials List

The Approved IRCs List is designed to provide districts a starting point to identify relevant high-quality IRCs in alignment with each CTE content area. New certifications can be added through the formal application process and certifications no longer of value can be removed.

For assistance with coding and reporting SRIs, please refer to Coding Industry Recognized Credentials (IRCs) in the SIS tutorial.

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CTE Alignment

IRCs help define structured program pathways for students and families. Many IRCs are stackable, meaning they can be accumulated and built upon over time. Students earning entry-level credentials may pursue additional related credentials as they progress through programs. In addition, certain IRCs have established pathways for college credit or articulation agreements with higher education institutions.

There are a number of credentials available that align with Iowa’s six CTE content areas. The Approved IRCs List provides teachers and administrators with suggested credentials most beneficial for Iowa students enrolled in CTE programs transitioning to postsecondary education/training or entering the workforce directly from high school.

Perkins funds can be used to pay for the cost of student assessments that lead to a credential or certificate.

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IRC Request Form

Districts or community colleges seeking to add an industry-recognized credential may submit requests each spring. Credentials not demonstrated to be industry-recognized, current, valuable and supported by Iowa industry will not be considered. Credentials should meet all high-quality characteristics as outlined above and have the support of at least five Iowa businesses. While a credential does not guarantee employment, this list will provide support of high-quality credentials that can assist Iowans seeking employment with providing evidence of knowledge and skills relevant to the industry.

The deadline to submit requests to add IRCs to the approved list is currently closed and will reopen again in the spring of 2026 for the 2026-2027 school year.. 

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Credentials to Careers Grant

Credentials to Careers Grant - Helps schools pay for costs related to creating or expanding CTE content area programs resulting in students earning an approved IRC. School districts must submit a separate application for each industry-recognized credential (IRC) on the 2025-2026 state-approved IRC list. Priority will be given to school districts who have not received a previous Credentials to Careers Grant.

IRC Grant Scoring Rubric

Round 2 Awards

  • Ballard Community School District
  • Boyden-Hull Community School District
  • Chariton Community School District
  • Des Moines Public Schools
  • Dubuque Community School District
  • Durant Community School District
  • Fort Dodge Community School District
  • Glenwood Community School District
  • Hinton Community School District
  • Keokuk Community School District
  • Knoxville Community School District
  • Missouri Valley Community School District
  • Starmont Community School District
  • West Des Moines Community School District
  • Winterset Community School District

Previous Awards

  • Ankeny Community School District
  • Burlington Community School District
  • Carroll Community School District
  • Cedar Falls Community School District
  • Cedar Rapids Community School District
  • Council Bluffs Community School District
  • Danville Community School
  • Davis County Community School District
  • Denver Community School District
  • Diagonal Community School District
  • Fort Madison Community School District
  • Gilbert Community School District
  • Hamburg Community School District
  • Harlan Community School District
  • Indianola Community School District
  • Iowa City Community School District
  • Iowa Valley Community School District
  • Johnston Community School District
  • Manson Northwest Webster Community School District
  • Mason City Community School District
  • MMCRU Schools
  • New London Community School District
  • North Union Community School District
  • Riverside Community School District
  • Sergeant Bluff-Luton Community School District
  • Sioux City Community School District
  • South Hamilton Community School District
  • South Winneshiek Community School District
  • Southeast Polk Community School District
  • Spencer Community School District
  • Stanton Community School District
  • Treynor Community School District
  • Waukee Community School District
  • Waverly-Shell Rock Community School District
  • Westwood Community School District
  • Woodbine Community School District
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Credentials to Child Care Careers (C4) Grant

Credentials for Child Care Careers Grant - Supports districts and accredited, non-public schools, in providing students with a Child Development Associate Credential (CDA) through local Family and Consumer Science (FCS) programming, while building the child care workforce through community partnerships with licensed child care centers.

Applications for the Credentials for Child Care Careers grant - The application window for Round 3 of this grant closed Dec. 4, 2024.

C4 Grant One-Page Overview

Awards

  • Central Lyon Community School District
  • Charles City Community School District
  • Clear Creek Amana Community School District
  • Council Bluffs Community School District
  • Des Moines Public Schools
  • Harlan Community School District
  • Iowa City Community School District
  • LeMars Community School District
  • Marshalltown Community School District
  • MMCRU Community School District
  • Sioux Central Community School District
  • Woodbine Community School District

Grantee Resources

C4 Grant R3 Orientation WebinarCredentials to Computer Science Careers Grant

The goal of the Credentials to Computer Science Careers Grant is to increase access to computer science-related Industry Recognized Credentials (IRCs) for Iowa students. Funds must be used to provide access to computer science-related IRCs.

District and nonpublic school applicants should demonstrate clear, sustainable plans to align one or more existing computer science or CTE pathways with student attainment of an industry-recognized credential aligned to industry needs and labor market demand.

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Credentials to Computer Science Careers Grant

An $850,000 grant opportunity to support high schoolers' attainment of computer science credentials.

The goal of the Credentials to Computer Science Careers Grant is to increase access to computer science-related Industry Recognized Credentials (IRCs) for Iowa students. Funds must be used to provide access to computer science-related IRCs.

District and nonpublic school applicants should demonstrate clear, sustainable plans to align one or more existing computer science or CTE pathways with student attainment of an industry-recognized credential aligned to industry needs and labor market demand.

2025-26 Approved IRCs for Grant Opportunity

State approved CTE-IS IRCs:

  • CompTIA A+
  • Java SE 8 Programmer
  • Cisco Certified Network Associate
  • Site Development Associate
  • Google Cloud – Foundational
  • IT Specialist-AI
  • IT Specialist-Cybersecurity
  • IT Specialist- Networking
  • Unity certification
  • Fortinet Certified Fundamentals Cybersecurity
  • Certified Entry Level Python Programmer
  • Adobe Certified Professional
  • AWS Foundational

The following IRCs are not currently on the state approved list, but will be added to the list for the 2026-2027 academic year, and are eligible for grant funding through this opportunity:

Google:

  • Cybersecurity
  • IT Support
  • Data Analytics
  • User Experience Design
  • IT Automation with Python
  • Advanced Data Analytics
  • AI Essentials
  • Prompting Essentials

Amazon Web Services:

  • Certified Cloud Practitioner
  • Certified AI Practitioner
  • Machine Learning Engineer
  • Certified Developer
  • Certified Data Engineer

CompTIA:

  • Cloud+
  • CySA+
  • Data+
  • DataSys+
  • Linux+
  • Network+
  • Pentest+
  • Security+
  • Server+
  • IT Fundamentals

Eligible Applicants

All Iowa public school districts and all Iowa accredited nonpublic school systems that do not currently (or have in the past) offer the computer science-related IRCs for which funding is being requested.

Eligible Activities

Grant funds are made available to awarded applicants for the following purposes:

  • Testing costs for students to earn IRC
  • Student training costs for necessary learning for IRC
  • Teacher training for delivering student learning/IRC test proctoring
  • Necessary materials for learning/testing
  • Associated travel costs

Credentials to Computer Science Careers Grant: FY25 Grant Application and Implementation Guidelines

Credentials to Computer Science Careers Grant Rubric

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