Dr. Susan Schulz

Hi Angela, All good points. Sounds familiar! The key to Placement services is to ensure that grads have the skills, knowledge, and self confidence to get a job in the field they were trained for. So many grads report they got a job. The Placement Dept needs to find out if it was for the job trained for. There's a difference between working in a hospital as a medical assistant, for example, or just working in any job at a hospital (which could be in the laundry room!) If the grad isn't working in the right job it is important… >>>

Good points, Vanessa. A great Placement Department can be structured so grads get jobs in careers they were trained for. There is a big difference between a career position and just getting a job. And it makes a difference in salary. We believe so much in how Placement makes an impact on enrollment that we suggest the Placement Director sit in the same offices as Admissions and be part of the admissions process. The reality is that students enroll for the job and not always for the courses. High placement is not only about the numbers. It is also about… >>>

This is a good start, Karen. You might push yourself to create a five year plan along with the other stakeholders in the school. When you envision what the school will look like in 5 years it makes you believe the school will still be around in 5 years. And it creates a task list of what has to be done to reach those goals. Then have year to year goals and even break them down to quarterly goals. And most important - measure everything you do. What worked, what didn't and what changes need to be made. Base your… >>>

Posters and brochures in high traffic areas is great. How are you measuring results? The high traffic areas may have a lot of prospective students or none at all. As you know, not everyone is a candidate for career school. All schools probably need better community outreach programs. You'll know you are doing well when you have one person out in the field 80% of the time and when you have a long list of employer and prospective employer contacts. And increased jobs and names of hiring decision makers. A board of governors or advisory board is great. You still… >>>

Great idea to contact HS guidance counselors. We find that many still don't view career schools as a viable choice for their students. We also find that school alumni can talk effectively to them. It's interesting about sending print materials to companies. And faxes. Sometimes they don't want all that information. So it's a balance. And great to put news clips and articles on your website. With alumni testimonials they are all endorsements! We have seen schools increase enrollment and retention through student success stories. It's amazing what a huge blowup of a happy grad's picture and story can do… >>>

The impact of placement on every other aspect of the school is our mantra as well. Now it is important to measure the affect of placement on enrollment (increase in quality students?), on retention (increase in retention as a result of career services?) and of course an increase in hiring results. Have you thought of putting a career services person right in the admissions department? It's an interesting thought since prospective students care more about the job they will get than what's required in the course work. We are happy that you are servicing alumni. Do you have a separate… >>>