Benefits of Accreditation

Accreditation

Why choose an accredited career training program?

There are several reasons why you should choose an accredited career college training program. Here, we’ll look at an overview of the benefits of accreditation. From there, we’ll review some of the major career college accrediting bodies that provide oversight and guidance to our school partners. Because of this relationship, career colleges across the U.S. are able to provide quality training to students in a number of growing industries.

If you’re ready to compare accredited career college training programs, simply use our resources to view Imagine America partner schools. This could be your first step toward your next career — and up to $1,000 for tuition and fees, if you qualify for one of our scholarship programs.

Benefits of choosing an accredited career education program

Accrediting bodies provide oversight to schools to help ensure program curricula conform to high standards and are relevant to employers’ needs.

Choosing an accredited program gives students confidence they’re receiving a quality career education that employers — as well as other schools and/or academic institutions — will recognize.

The accreditation process inspires continual conversation between employers, schools, students and other educators to ensure everyone is on the same page. As a leading career college scholarship provider, we love sharing information and facilitating ways to empower students and our school partners.

For some fields, such as health care, accredited training can be essential for providing the highest-quality patient care. More and more employers are requiring dental and medical assistants to have some form of certificate or diploma to prove they can manage the required clinical and administrative skills for these positions.

Accrediting organizations and agencies

Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC)
ACCSC works with colleges through a nongovernmental process that includes peer reviews. This approach fosters a relationship between ACCSC and the schools they work with. Not only do they provide curriculum input colleges can use to improve their programs, but they also offer events, workshops and other ways educators can connect with them on a personal level.

Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
Some accrediting bodies, such as the HLC, cover certain portions of the United States. The HLC covers 19 states in the North Central Region to help ensure schools meet state and federal standards and other goals as well. You can read more about their standards for accreditation here.

Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC)
When you look at some of our partner schools, such as Penn Foster, that offer distance education programs, you may notice DEAC listed as an accrediting body. That’s because they help ensure students receive a quality online experience when they enroll in school.

Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
CEPH is an example of an accrediting agency that focuses on a particular area of study. In this case, public health programs can earn accreditation if they meet the CEPH’s high standards. Their goal is to help schools teach health care professionals who work in public health to adhere to best practices and guidelines for patient safety and care. There are career-specific organizations, such as the American Association of Medical Assistants, that help ensure particular career needs are met in critical industries.

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
CAAHEP is one of the leading health sciences accrediting organizations. They work with career colleges, universities and other types of academic institutions to ensure high standards for teaching the medical professionals of tomorrow.

Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)
ABHES is another major accrediting agency that works with health education programs across the U.S. When you’re comparing career college training programs in health care, you’ll likely see this accreditation or CAAHEP accreditation.

Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
ACBSP help schools understand the needs of today’s students who want to thrive in the world of business while they also help students reach their professional potential. For instance, students can visit their career center, where they can view listings for jobs all over the U.S.

When you speak with our career college partners about their training programs, be sure to bring up the subject of accreditation. Ask if their programs will be recognized by prospective employers and if the credit you earn will be transferable to other schools. While this might not be relevant to every type of career college program, it can be a strong indicator for many fields.

Ready to start looking for the right accredited career college training in your area? Just use our map to find programs that offer our Imagine America career college scholarships, worth up to $1,000 for qualifying students.

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The IAF app delivers tools and resources perfect for students of all ages — as well as high school counselors, career college administrators, and college and university administrators. Matching your school with scholarship opportunities, applying to your school and even checking your application status have never been easier.