Programs Under Consideration
Notice
Where a program below concerns an occupation for which no credential is customarily required, the description says so. The College publishes this information because a prospective student is entitled to it before, rather than after, enrolling.
Conveyance Systems Inspection and Maintenance
Technical Certificate · 18 credit hours · 2 semesters · Division of Building, Structures and Site Services
Inspection and preventive maintenance of elevators, escalators, moving walks, and wheelchair lifts. ASME A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators and A17.2 inspection procedure; hoistway and machine room components; traction and hydraulic systems; door operators and safety edges; governors, safeties, and buffers; escalator step chains, comb plates, handrail drives, and skirt obstruction devices; and the documentation required of a periodic inspection.
Includes Ohio requirements for elevator inspector certification under the Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance, and preparation toward the ASME QEI-1 Qualified Elevator Inspector examination.
The certificate is an inspection credential. It is not mechanic training and does not prepare a graduate to install, repair, or return a conveyance to service.
Escalators. The College holds two escalator units in the main corridor of the Corliss Pike building, installed 1971. They have not operated since 1991 and are maintained as a static installation. No manufacturer supports them and the drive machinery is unserviceable.
Their condition does not limit their instructional value for this curriculum. Inspection instruction on an escalator is conducted with the unit de-energized and locked out in any case. Balustrades, step chains, comb plates, skirt panels, and handrail assemblies are accessible, complete, and original, and the machine pits can be opened.
The units cannot be used to demonstrate any component in motion. Step band travel, handrail speed synchronization, governor function, and the operation of the skirt obstruction device would be taught from documentation and video.
Elevators. The building has one elevator. It serves both floors and the sub-level and is the building's only accessible vertical route.
It cannot be removed from service for instruction. Placing it out of service would render the second floor and the sub-level inaccessible, and the College's obligations under Title II do not admit of a scheduled exception for coursework.
Elevator instruction would therefore be conducted off site under agreement. No such agreement has been secured. Two regional maintenance contractors were approached in 2021 and in 2025. One declined. One did not respond.
Off-campus escalator instruction. There is no operating escalator in Tolliver County. The nearest is approximately 38 minutes from campus.
Entry to the trade. Elevator constructors and mechanics in this region enter the occupation through the joint labor-management apprenticeship of the International Union of Elevator Constructors. Selection is by application, aptitude examination, and interview conducted by a joint committee. The apprenticeship does not award preference for prior postsecondary coursework, and a certificate from the College would confer no advantage in selection.
Employers. There are no elevator maintenance employers in Tolliver County. Service in the county is provided by contractors dispatched from Canton and Akron. Career Services contacted four. None indicated that it would recruit from a College certificate program. Two stated that they hire exclusively through the apprenticeship.
Inspection as an alternative path. Third-party elevator inspection is a genuine occupation and QEI certification is attainable. However, QEI certification requires documented inspection experience under a certified inspector in addition to examination. The College cannot provide that experience and has not identified a party that would.
Advisory committee. The Division invited the IUEC local to serve on an advisory committee for the proposed program in June 2025. The local declined, in writing, and stated its position that training for the trade is appropriately conducted through the apprenticeship. The letter is retained and is a public record.
Enrollment projection. Between 3 and 6 students per year, on the same methodology as the College's other projections.
The reviewers do not recommend the certificate. The reviewers note that the underlying instructional interest is real and recommend, in the alternative, that the material be offered as a single elective course.
Discontinued — published for reference
Technical Certificate — Utility Meter Reading
Discontinued 2019.
Offered from 1996. Route reading, meter identification and unit conversion, safety around service equipment, handheld device operation, obstruction and access reporting, and customer contact.
Published outcomes for the program’s final five cohorts:
| Cohort | Completers | Placement in field or related field |
|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 14 | 71.4% |
| 2015-16 | 11 | 63.6% |
| 2016-17 | 9 | 44.4% |
| 2017-18 | 7 | 28.6% |
| 2018-19 | 8 | 12.5% |
The program was discontinued at the conclusion of the spring 2019 term following the regional deployment of advanced metering infrastructure. Enrolled students completed. The College notified applicants holding a place for fall 2019 and refunded deposits in full.
The 2018–19 placement figure is published as calculated. The College received one inquiry about it, from a student, and provided the methodology statement.
Program descriptions on this page reflect proposals as presented to the Board and are not updated to reflect developments occurring after the date of presentation.
Page last revised 7 August 2026 · /academics/proposed-programs/under-consideration · Office of the Provost