SACA certifications give learners a way to turn real-world expertise into college credit, saving time, reducing costs, and accelerating career growth.
For any parent, their child’s graduation is a moment of pride. For Jason Solberg, it’s also a personal milestone. This spring, he’ll don his cap and gown alongside his son, Tyler, as both become some of the first graduates of the University of Wisconsin-Stout’s new Bachelor of Automation Leadership program.
The degree is the first of its kind, offering students an opportunity to blend technical skills with industrial business leadership expertise. The program prepares learners to lead in areas such as Industry 4.0, digital transformation, and operations management.
What makes this program so unique is that 61 credits can be transferred through associated credentials from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), a national certification body that delivers industry-recognized certifications and microcredentials in advanced manufacturing and Industry 4.0. SACA silver certifications are written exams that test knowledge, and gold certifications are hands-on assessments that measure technical skill.
Add general education credits, and students can transfer up to 88 total credits to UW-Stout from any technical or community college in the country that has a transfer agreement with UW-Stout.
In other words, students can complete 75% of a 120-credit bachelor’s degree without paying university tuition.
To finish their degree, students will build on their technical foundation with courses in IoT, lean manufacturing, project management, and digital strategy. Then, they’ll complete an automation leadership internship and final capstone project. These capstones showcase a student’s understanding of both the technical and business sides of a project, including scheduling, budgeting, team management, and communication.
Jason Solberg describes himself as a man who’s done a little bit of everything, with a career that has spanned roles, technologies, and learning environments. That versatility is exactly what accelerated his journey through the Automation Leadership degree.
Jason’s has had roles in operations, maintenance, automation, and instruction, with roles at Tecumseh Products, Waukesha Engines, and GE. Early on, he pursued technical education at Moraine Park Technical College and completed a journeyman apprenticeship at Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC).
Having spent over two decades in industry, Jason moved to the world of education after discovering a job listing for an adjunct instructor position at WCTC. “I took the plunge and I went to the other side and became a teacher. It was terrifying because I never taught a day in my life.”
After nine years of teaching, Jason has now taught over 28 different courses and set up five apprenticeship programs. “I don’t teach for the money. I do it because I want to make a difference in people’s life.”
Always looking to grow, Jason had recently enrolled at Lakeland College for data analytics when WCTC Associate Vice Provost of Academic Affairs, Mike Shiels, mentioned a new program that might be of interest. The University of Wisconsin-Stout’s new bachelor of Automation Leadership was being rolled out and looking for students. With the SACA credential portion of the degree, Shiels explained how Jason could gain credit for his years of experience.
“I just took whatever [SACA assessments] just to see, test myself. I got 15 or 16 silvers from that,” Jason explains how he received his SACA credentials. He then spent 4 days at Lakeshore College in Cleveland, Wisconsin testing for his gold certifications. “I didn’t even study. I went in there and I walked away with 10 golds.” These credentials will translate into 28 credits towards Jason’s degree.
Unlike the traditional credit for prior learning model, which maps to courses, Stout’s model uses the earned SACA credentials to award credit. According to Program Director Dr. Xuedong (David) Ding, “SACA makes this program possible. Because if there is no national or internationally-recognized skill set competencies certificate, this program would not be available.”
Dr. Ding also explains how SACA’s industry-validated and standardized benchmarks, along with flexible delivery, enabled the University to format the program to support reshoring American manufacturing.
Jason is the perfect example of what makes the Automation Leadership degree so unique. By earning his 25 SACA certifications, he validated decades of hands-on experience and turned those credentials directly into college credit. This allowed him to reduce the time it will take to obtain the degree as well as reduce tuition costs, since converting certifications into credits meant fewer classes to pay for. Jason’s journey shows that when education aligns with experience, learners can move forward faster, with greater purpose and impact.
“I like to lead by example, and I want to pave the path for our apprentices because I’m an apprentice,” Jason shares.
Now that Jason has taken his own certifications and knows the variety of credentials SACA provides, he uses them as a planning tool to shape his courses at WCTC. SACA helps him align labs, lectures, and assessments with the exact skills students will need in the field. This approach gives students a clear path toward earning certifications while they learn, and it ensures that every lesson connects directly to real-world outcomes.
And because WCTC has a transfer agreement with UW-Stout, Jason’s students also have a clear pathway to an Automation Leadership degree if they want to continue their education.
Tyler Solberg, Jason’s son, had also started the Automation Leadership program at the same time as Jason and was able to transfer 19 credits into the program from his dual enrollment at Oconomowoc High School.
For his capstone project, Jason worked with Tyler and another classmate, Wesley Lidwin, to complete a multi-year project to develop a coil winding training station for Eaton. Jason often conducts training bootcamps for Eaton employees, and Eaton offered $350,000 to fund Jason’s leadership of the new training program.
[A look at the coil training line at Eaton coordinated by Jason and his team.]
Dr. Ding oversees Jason’s capstone project and predicts the training Jason coordinated will have a continued impact on Eaton beyond this first project. “[The coil training line] impacted the whole culture of that facility. It transferred from a semi-automated or manual operation to a fully automated production. So, they have a more competitive edge compared to competitors nationally and internationally.”
Jason and Tyler’s journeys show how SACA certifications create real opportunities for learners at every stage, from high school students just starting out to seasoned professionals with years of experience. While Tyler used dual-enrollment credits to begin his degree early, Jason converted decades of hands-on expertise into college credit through performance-based certifications. Each took a different path, but both will end up in the same destination as they walk the graduation stage together this spring.
Whether students are just starting out or bringing years of experience to the table, SACA helps them build meaningful skills that connect directly to the workplace. It turns learning into progress, and progress into possibility.
Learn more about Jason’s capstone project here.
Find the current offerings of SACA certifications here.
Learn more about the Automation Leadership degree here.
