Ohio-Michigan Association of Career Colleges and Schools

What Ohio-Michigan Association of Career Colleges and Schools does

The Ohio-Michigan Association of Career Colleges and Schools (OMACCS) is a dual-state nonprofit trade association founded in 1984 and headquartered in Westerville, Ohio, that represents proprietary, postsecondary private career colleges and schools across Ohio and Michigan. Its primary members are institutions offering professional, technical, and career-specific programs that grant degrees, certificates, and diplomas across more than 200 occupational areas; secondary members include employers seeking talent-pipeline access to career college graduates, and students receiving scholarship support. OMACCS is led by Executive Director Kent Trofholz with a Board of Directors drawn from member institutions (including DeVry University and Universal Technical Institute).

OMACCS delivers its value through four product lines: (1) advocacy — direct engagement with the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools, the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity, both state General Assemblies, and federal bodies via CECU affiliation and retained lobbyist Tom Pappas & Associates; (2) professional development — annual Fall Conference, annual Faculty In-Service event (in-person and virtual in collaboration with MAACS), and ongoing online training through the Ohio Online Training Center (powered by MaxKnowledge, with required compliance courses OH110, OH115, OH120) and the Michigan Online Training Center (MACCS Training, 200+ courses with CEU credit); (3) scholarships — LEADS! Scholarship and Workforce Tuition Scholarship programs that have supported hundreds of graduating high school seniors; and (4) membership programs — School Membership plus a newly launched three-tier Employer Membership (Basic $1,500; Standard $3,000; Premium $6,000 annually).

The business model is membership-fee driven: recurring annual school membership dues and the tiered employer membership subscriptions. The organization supplements these with event registration revenue, training-platform delivery (via technology partner MaxKnowledge, Inc.), and associate-member partnerships (e.g., Cyanna Education Services, Scholar House Media). GTM is sales-led, executed by the Executive Director through direct outreach, the omaccs.org website, events, and advocacy work; member schools and employer prospects engage via membership inquiry forms routed to the Executive Director.

Name

Ohio-Michigan Association of Career Colleges and Schools

Legal name

Ohio-Michigan Association of Career Colleges and Schools

Website

https://omaccs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OMACCS is a dual-state nonprofit trade association, founded 1984 and headquartered in Westerville, Ohio, that advocates for proprietary postsecondary career colleges in Ohio and Michigan, delivering legislative representation, compliance training via online platforms (MaxKnowledge, MACCS), annual events, scholarships, and tiered school and employer memberships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from career colleges and schools in Ohio and Michigan. The organization offers different membership tiers including standard membership for schools and new employer membership tiers (Basic, Standard, Premium).
2. Employer Membership Program: New employer membership initiative with three tiers: Basic ($1,500), Standard ($3,000), and Premium ($6,000), providing employers access to graduates and networking opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

OMACCS is a dual-state nonprofit trade association serving proprietary, postsecondary career colleges and schools in Ohio and Michigan. The organization delivers legislative and regulatory advocacy, professional development seminars and workshops, online compliance and operations training, annual conferences, and scholarship programs for member institutions and their students.

Product overview

OMACCS is a dual-state association for proprietary, postsecondary private career colleges and schools, offering advocacy services, professional development programs (including Faculty In-Service and Fall Conference), and online training through Ohio and Michigan Online Training Centers. The association operates scholarship programs (LEADS! Scholarship and Workforce Tuition Scholarship), and offers membership programs for both schools and employers with tiered benefits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Scholarships provided to hundreds of graduating high school seniors across Ohio and Michigan

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Tom Pappas & AssociatescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRetained lobbying firm providing expanded access to Ohio and Michigan policy makers. The partnership strengthens OMACCS advocacy efforts on behalf of member career colleges and schools.
• CECU (Career Education Colleges & Universities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational affiliation providing Washington D.C. representation for OMACCS and its member schools. CECU advocates for the career college sector at the federal level.
• Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools (SBCCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState regulatory board that OMACCS maintains regular contact with for licensing and regulatory matters affecting member schools.
• Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity (LEO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichigan state agency that OMACCS maintains regular contact with for regulatory and workforce development matters affecting member schools.
• MaxKnowledge, Inc.majorTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing Ohio Online Training Center platform for professional development courses including compliance training (OH110, OH115, OH120) for member school staff.
• Mid-Atlantic Association of Career Schools (MAACS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for annual Virtual Faculty In-Service event, combining resources for shared professional development opportunities across regional career school associations.
• DMH Tax & AccountingminorOthersFirst employer member of OMACCS' new Employer Membership program, pioneering the initiative to connect employers with career college graduates.
• Library and Information Resources Network (LIRN)minorOthersEmployer member providing library and information resources access to OMACCS member schools and their students.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU): CECU is the national trade association that advocates for career colleges in Washington, D.C. OMACCS is a CECU state affiliate and shares the same member profile, advocacy mission, and federal representation role at a national level — making it the most direct functional peer.
• Mid-Atlantic Association of Career Schools (MAACS): MAACS is a regional trade association serving career schools in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. and is an active OMACCS partner (co-hosting the Virtual Faculty In-Service). Same member type, mission, and event-based engagement model.

Others

• MaxKnowledge, Inc. MaxKnowledge is OMACCS's technology partner for the Ohio Online Training Center and provides compliance/professional development courseware to career schools nationally. Functions as OMACCS's platform and content supplier, comparable through shared end customers and training product category.
• Tom Pappas & Associates: Tom Pappas & Associates is OMACCS's retained government relations firm, providing lobbying access to Ohio and Michigan policy makers. Industry-adjacent rather than directly competitive, but a recurring partner in OMACCS's advocacy infrastructure.

Regional players

• Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges (FAPSC): FAPSC represents private postsecondary institutions in Florida via advocacy, training, and annual events — same association model as OMACCS, different state, partial overlap with proprietary career school members.
• California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools (CAPPS): CAPPS is a California-based trade association serving private postsecondary schools. Operates the same membership/advocacy/event model as OMACCS but in a different geography (West Coast). Comparable structurally to OMACCS but does not directly compete.

Broad incumbents

• Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE): ACTE is the largest national association for career and technical education professionals across secondary and postsecondary levels. Broader scope than OMACCS but overlapping member base (career educators, administrators) and similar professional development/government advocacy missions.

Emerging players

• Council of Independent Kentucky Universities (CIKU): While broader than OMACCS, similar regional associations (e.g., Council of Independent Colleges, Career College Association state chapters) play the same membership-and-advocacy role for private postsecondary schools at state or regional levels and would be potential partner or peer organizations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ohio-Michigan Association of Career Colleges and Schools