July

Think student recruitment is done this month? Your wrong!

I have talked with people who have said that their enrollment is busting at the seams in May, and in August the students just don't come and they don't understand why.

I would argue that until that student is taking classes on your campus, there are many factors that can persuade them to change their mind and your recruitment efforts are not done.

Maybe their buddy is talking them out of going to your technology center, maybe their family dynamics have changed and they can now go to the technology center but did not pay attention during their "Sophomore Tour" or any other number of scenarios that may influence a student to decide not to attend or to attend your campus this fall.

Here are some suggestions on how you can start that recruitment cycle with potential students and continue to communicate with students who have "enrolled" but are not yet on your campus.

8TH GRADE YEAR
• “How To” Postcard

FRESHMAN
• “How To” Postcard

SOPHOMORE YEAR
• Fall program planning
• Specialized brochure to students of underrepresented ethnicities

JUNIOR YEAR
• College Alliance Mailing to parents and students
• Enrolled “Flash” email, “Congrats, you’re a CareerTech student!”
• Welcome to Tech pizza party for all enrolled

SENIOR YEAR

• Contact all students who were enrolled in an Alliance program as Juniors
• Welcome to Tech pizza party for all enrolled

How are you recruiting this July?

June

It's that time of year. Thoughts turn to fishing poles, summer camp and the endless soundtrack of Alice Cooper's Schools Out playing over and over in your mind.

Before you tune completely out, lets talk recruitment. More specifically, what will you do this summer to recruit the next crop of students to your technology center?

An important part of the year round recruitment plan is that you are taking part in building relationships at points throughout the year. The summer months are no different. Just like Cub Scout working on the SummerTime Pack Award, you should be developing a program that will lay the groundwork for your major recruitment activities and help the transition from high school to technology center and let students know that they are important.

Here are a few thoughts from our year round recruitment plan.

6TH GRADE YEAR
Teen Tours

7TH GRADE YEAR
Career Summer Camp

8TH GRADE YEAR
Tech Academy – STEM

SOPHOMORE YEAR
Rising Jr. letter

JUNIOR YEAR
Enrollment Days
Fall program planning

What are you doing this summer?

May

The academic year is almost over, but you should still be working on recruitment in order to ensure that you have full classrooms next year. Here are some exerts and ideas from the year round recruitment plan.

May

MEDIA

• Press release on college enrollment numbers

8TH GRADE YEAR

• Career Days-Canadian Valley

FRESHMAN

• Campus visit invitation letter

SOPHOMORE YEAR

• Award assemblies
• Enrollment Days
• Fall program planning
  

JUNIOR YEAR

• Attend sending school awards assemblies.
• Certificates for Cooperative Alliance students
• Certificated for Career Major completers
  

SENIOR YEAR

• "Next Steps" letter with information for parents on what to do next in the college process
• Attend sending school awards assemblies.
• Certificates for Cooperative Alliance students
• Certificated for Career Major completers
  

ADULT STUDENTS
• Job Fair

April

It is halfway through March, so you know that it is time to think about April recruitment!

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (PK-6)
Outdoor Classroom

8TH GRADE YEAR
Post card
Summer camp information

FRESHMAN
Summer camp information

SOPHOMORE YEAR
New Student and Parents Orientation Night
Telemarketing-late deciders
Campus visits
Personalized written communications from counselors
Award assemblies
Congrats/Check list letter to admitted

JUNIOR YEAR
Technology Center Enrollment Night
Attend sending school awards assemblies.
Certificates for Cooperative Alliance students presented at Awards Assemblies


SENIOR YEAR
Attend sending school awards assemblies.
Certificates for Cooperative Alliance students
Certificates for Career Major completers

ADULTS
Adult Recruitment Night

Career Major Completers
Job Fairs

March

What are you doing for student recruitment in March? Here are some ideas from our Year Round Recruitment Plan. If you would like a copy of the complete plan, it is available through email at jzwei(@)okcareertech.org

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Outdoor Classroom

8TH GRADE YEAR
Scouting CareerTech, 4-H days

FRESHMAN
Freshman visits, follow up

SOPHOMORE YEAR
Counselor alert-“Not to late to apply” letter or email

JUNIOR YEAR
College Tour Days
Check dates for award assemblies

SENIOR YEAR
Job and Internship Fair
Check dates for award assemblies

February

What are you doing for student recruitment in February? Here are some suggestions from our Year Round Recruitment Plan

8TH GRADE YEAR

• Reality Store

FRESHMAN

• Freshmen Walkthrough

SOPHOMORE YEAR

• Sophomore Shadow Opportunities
• College fairs, follow ups
• Check dates for award assemblies
  

JUNIOR YEAR

• Career Expo

SENIOR YEAR

• FASFA reminder letter

These ideas and more are available in our Year Round Recruitment Plan, for a copy email jzwei(@)okcareertech.org

January

As the year winds down, we have shared with you many ideas and opportunities to do student recruitment. Make sure that you don't get in a holiday slump and after you send your e-Holiday cards, look ahead to what is on your plate for January. Here are some ideas for your year round recruitment plan...

8TH GRADE YEAR
• Mailer to underrepresented ethnicities
• Mailer to high priority

SOPHOMORE YEAR
• Sophmore Spotlight for students of underrepresented backgrounds
• Flash email-scholarship priority date
• Personalized written communications to high priority

JUNIOR YEAR
• Parent Student night

SENIOR YEAR
• College Transition Night or FAFSA night

As always, if you would like a copy of the year round recruitment plan, shoot me an email to jzwei(@)okcareertech.org

November

As you think about the month of November, here are some ideas and suggestions that could be included in your year round recruitment plan.

As you hold special events like Multicultural Day, it is a good idea to start a three-ring binder that includes information about the event.

Include a copy of the invitation that was sent, what was the time line for informing counselors and students about the event, what staff was involved and what were their duties? Record this information and you will have a record of what was successful and what was not and next year will be even easier to prepare for and will run smoother.

Here are some suggestions for this month...

8TH GRADE YEAR

• Multicultural Day

FRESHMAN

• Multicultural Day

SOPHOMORE YEAR

• Multicultural Day
• Personalized communications from counselors
• Letters to National Merit & Academic Scholars

JUNIOR YEAR

• Job Fair

SENIOR YEAR

• Job Fair

Remember to update your plan as you go along each month. Doing so will make make next November easier to plan and be prepared for.

If you would like a copy of the our Year Round Recruitment Plan, contact us.

October

September is halfway through and Autumn is coming quickly!! If you have not thought about what you will be doing to recruit students to your campus, let us give you a few ideas.....

FRESHMAN
OKCIS awareness and training classroom sessions for high school and postsecondary students
Personalized letter & email to high priority students
Telemarketing campaigns

SOPHOMORE YEAR
Student/Parent night
Attend OK College Day/Night fairs, follow up

JUNIOR & SENIOR YEAR
Student/Parent night

Let us know what you are doing or shoot us an at jzwei(at)okcareertech.org if you want the year round plan.

September

It is the end of the recruitment season, your new students are on campus and they have all been properly welcomed and are finding their classes…...

…………..now it is time to start recruiting your students for next year!!

What are you doing to reach out to those students? If you have put together your plan for year round recruitment you would already know the answer to that question.

A few thoughts from our plan:

• Sit down and review your plan with the Enrollment Management Council. What recruitment and marketing strategies worked, what didn’t, what were our results and what can we change? Did you make use of Web 2.0?
  
• Does you campus have an Outdoor Classroom, time to start thinking about inviting elementary aged kids to campus and working with the local NRCS.
• Never to early to visit some 8th graders, Make it fun and excite them about career and technology education.
• Send freshmen students a personalized letter & email helping them plan for the upcoming year.
• What final things should Sophomores be doing in order to be prepared to enter the technology center, send them and their parents an email?
• Junior and Senior College Alliance Night including presentations and meeting with college partners.
  

What are you planning in September? Go to the Blog and let us know. If you want a copy of our year round recruitment plan, let us know and send us an email.

Happy Recruiting!

Enrollment Management and the August Recruitment Plan

The CareerTech System just finished its annual Summer Conference in Oklahoma City and I was excited to see more presentations this year on recruitment and marketing.

For my presentation this year, I spoke on Enrollment Management in CTE. It went well and the point of the presentation was not to have an in depth conversation (those will come later), but to introduce the concepts behind enrollment management and I felt that it hit the mark.

Of course we also talked some about recruitment, but in a big picture sense. I introduced a recruitment plan that has been developed through reading Tech Prep grants, Guidance grants, TCTW grants and others, combined with my knowledge of higher-education practices and techniques.

Here are some ideas for August:

MEDIA
Success stories in newspapers and other publications

PRINCIPALS AND COUNSELORS
Send P/C newsletter with technology center highlights featuring success stories of local students
Utilize email to send periodic updates of school specific student success stories

8TH GRADE YEAR
Targeted mailing to parents

FRESHMAN YEAR
Conduct fall freshmen/sophomore visits in local high schools

SOPHOMORE YEAR
Personalized letter & email to high priority
Letter from Superintendent

JUNIOR YEAR
College Alliance night invitation mailed to parents and students

The "Recruitment Plan for Oklahoma Technology Centers" has more ideas and concepts for recruitment year round. Some asked about it after the presentation and if you will give me an email, we would love share it and to work with you, develop it further and help implement it throughout the system to help Oklahoma continue to grow.

I'll continue to talk about Enrollment Management here, I hope you'll come back. If you went to the presentation, let me know how I did, I hope that you learned at least one thing that you can implement on your campus.