The Placement Department does a lot more than provide grads with their first jobs. Structured well, the Placement Department can impact on enrollments, retention, and of course placement. Placement can function as the community outreach arm of the school. You'll be able to increase relationships with hiring decision makers and reap benefits in other ways from these relationships. The Placement Dept. can and should in our opinion, work with grads and alumni as well. Thanks, Susan
That is very true, its so important the function of the job placement department,we provide the graduates with their probably first job, so, we have a great responsability, and we give them the tools for great tomorrow.
HI Isaris, Interesting approach. A small school can spend time to get policies and procedures in place for when you grow. Ideally you provide students with lots of employment skills training in addition to appearance and attitude lessons. We find that when students are confident they want to look good and find an inner strength. This takes a lot of training and over time. On one hand the "only shot at success" can be motivating. It can also make some people feel badly if they think they messed up. Perhaps a focus on learning from the good and bad would be a helpful approach. Thanks, Susan
Hi Fernando, Confidence building takes time. It's not about a one time meeting. That's why we recommend that career services start the minute the student enrolls. It takes a lot of skill building for a student to be effective and also feel effective. That means several employment skills assignments and lots of practice and feedback. A successful career services department offers as much as each course. Thanks, Susan
Agreed 100% , they need to be ready to that interview, In our school we make the students come to see us. We spoke with them that makes them feel confident .
Our school is small where we get to know all the students and provide them with information on the jobs they are seeking for. We let them know that appearance and good attitude is key in a job interview. It's explained to them that they must think that this is their only shot at success and they have to come into an interview ready to impress the interviewer.
That's true Fernando. Can you provide examples at your school about how placement works with each department. Or if you have no formal plans what are you doing informally or what would you like to do? For example, you could sit in or near the admissions offices. Ask to speak with each applicant. You could contact leads and tell them about what career services does. You can go into each classroom and conduct job employment training, and lots more. And of course you'll want to measure results. Very good start, Susan
Placement Services impacts every single department of our school , ecourages students on their courses and also impacts on enrollments where our admission rep can share with candidates our placement rates.
Hi Isabel, Yes placement does increase enrollment in so many ways. Thus it is important to measure your affect on enrollment numbers. A challenge but do-able. We also believe that a school website should have many pages about placement department offerings and information useful to students, grads, and alumni. Prospective students look at the school for programs and costs. We think what can differentiate the school is the information about placement and career services. Thanks, Susan
Hi Isaris, Students will only feel a sense of security re job placement if you stay in touch with them from the minute they enroll. Actually we think placement should be an active part of the admissions interview process. After enrollment placement should be present during Orientation and also visit classes. We feel the student should be required to meet with placement and attend workshops to prepare them for the job search. So - security depends on how aware the student is of your services and how much they use them. Thanks, Susan
Placement Services is extremely important to the schools because it gives students a sense of security. Knowing that they will have assistance and a network for students to access and rely on to help with their job placement is a gives them a great sense of security and helps give them confidence. It will also help with enrollment.
By having a successful Placement Department you can also increase enrollment in the programs you offer. There's many services you can provide that can be added to your website and campus. These services, such as websites of prospective employers, job-search websites, listing of the students that have been recently hired, all of these can be very appealing to someone looking to start a new career, or even someone looking for a part-time job.
Yes, Joanie. The placement department really has a great impact on enrollment, retention, and of course placement. That's why we advocate a very strong and pro active department. We like to see the director out in the community calling on employers and prospective employers. We feel it is vital to develop and maintain relationships with the hiring decision makers. We also see results when placement assignments are required. And when placement is as important as each course. We are also researching how many students are placed at the externship site. One school we interviewed said that 100% of the externs were placed at the externship site. That's pretty amazing and something to think about. Thanks, Susan
Placement could actually be considered the hub of the technical college model. Our accreditation requires us to have over 70% placement for each program. If we are under 83%, we must create Plan of Actions.
Our placement percentages are so important because our students COME to us to "get a better job faster." If the placement office is not known or trusted to place qualified students, the basic word-of-mouth marketing within the specific industries will stifle the school’s success. Employers’ must trust that they have a knowledgeable advocate to serve and protect their interests as well as place the graduate.
Qualifying statements about the school from industry employers will lead students to us – sadly, the negative statements go nearly 10 times further. Our job in the placement office is to combat employer’s negative experiences and replace them with positive experiences.
If we don’t meet our placement numbers – the school could potentially lose accreditation for their entire program. Just as havoc ensues as a company goes through “right sizing,†loosing accreditation on a program would be suicide for a technical college. This would sabotage current and past grads as well as put people out of their jobs—not to mention the negative reaction the other programs might face.
In all, the placement office is indirectly responsible for getting students in the door and directly responsible for showing them the way out.
Good points. A school needs to work as a team for the benefit of the student. Every other department needs to know what is going on in career services and ensure that students understand the services too. We think that a career services person should be part of the admissions team. And career services should also work closely with instructors. Students need to see career services as a vital part of their educaion. Best wishes, Susan
The administration as a whole is an important component of the student success at the educational institution. Students interact in these different departments and look for guidance. Working with the other departments we can create a network to facilitate the student's needs. Working together we can identify the student's specific needs and achieve their primary goal which is to obtain a successful career in their field of study after graduation.
Very well put, Christina. Placement does make a measurable impact on enrollments, retention, and placement. Few schools track this. When you do, you can see that the Placement Department can be a profit center. It is also true that every student needs to be kept motivated. This is typically by keeping their eyes on their employment prospects. They need to be reminded that the goal is to get a job and the school is prepared to provide a great deal of assistance so the grad has the skills and confidence to enter the job search market. A satisfied customer (student) will definitely return for more training and recommend other students. Thanks, Susan
The Placement Department can specifically and positively impact other departments in the school, by effectively assisting the students with further developing their job search skills and career development. This will keep them motivated to continue and complete their studies, and offer referrals. If students become employed, they will in turn be able to be more successful and be able to afford their tuition if they are not receiving financial assistance.
Placement Services can impact enrollments, by increasing enrollments through positive referrals. Candidates will be more likely to enroll if they know they are going to get excellent job placement assistance upon completion of their training/education.
Great points, Suzanne. Placement and career services can increase enrollments, keep students in school (retention) and increase job openings. Also impact on placement and assist grads setting up shop on their own. Yes, it is about branding, too. You want your community to see your school as THE source for training and for meeting their staffing needs. Career services reps who are out there in the community can learn about job openings before they are posted and identify learning competencies that are needed by companies. Then you have the opportunity to design new training programs to meet these needs. Thanks, Susan
Placement impacts all departments in a school. A well structured placement department will help build enrollments through 1.) success of your graduates. Successful people will tell their friends, family and colleagues about their experience. 2.) Branding in the community. If your placement department is calling and job developing they will be talking to people who will have friends, family and colleagues that may need your training services. Your placement department can help the financial aid department simply be ensuring students can pay the tuition bills. A placement department can help ensure your school is teaching the right stuff by surveying and talking with area employers and sponsors.
