Challenges

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Discussion:

Paul,

Saturation is definitely a challenge. I'm sure you already do this but something else I used to do, for our particularly challenging programs, was create events that engaged the local industry. In fact, we ended up having a pretty large annual conference for the local game industry in Arizona that attracted companies from outside of the local market. A video of the event can be seen here: http://youtu.be/qz3Q6-rXVtE. We marketed the event through grassroots efforts using social media, email, and even built a website using a free website building tool known as www.wix.com.

What we did was hosted a large conference with several keynote speakers (all volunteered through relationships I had developed via LinkedIn over time). This offered a great learning opportunity for the employers we wanted to get to know better. We held a morning session for students and a night session for industry-only, had it catered and had a bartender. We captured over 120 new employer emails and expanded our employer reach and relationships with the first event. The event is still an annual event at the college I no longer work at but it was an idea that started with a few solid relationships formed via LinkedIn. The Conference allowed us to meet more employers and strengthen existing relationships. I just wanted to provide you with a real-world example of what can be done to stand out above the other schools in your area. If you can be seen as a resource not only for potential new hires, but also a close partner in contributing value to your local industry through professional networking events that offer learning opportunities, you may have an advantage. It's all part of a robust employer engagement strategy.

Thanks Paul for your forum participation.

Robert Starks Jr.

Paul, Saturation is definitely a challenge. I'm sure you already do this but something else I used to do, for our particularly challenging programs, was create events that engaged the local industry. In fact, we ended up having a pretty large annual conference for the local game industry in Arizona that attracted companies from outside of the local market. A video of the event can be seen here: http://youtu.be/qz3Q6-rXVtE. We marketed the event through grassroots efforts using social media, email, and even built a website using a free website building tool known as www.wix.com. What we did was hosted a large conference with several keynote speakers (all volunteered through relationships I had developed via LinkedIn over time). This offered a great learning opportunity for the employers we wanted to get to know better. We held a morning session for students and a night session for industry-only, had it catered and had a bartender. We captured over 120 new employer emails and expanded our employer reach and relationships with the first event. The event is still an annual event at the college I no longer work at but it was an idea that started with a few solid relationships formed via LinkedIn. The Conference allowed us to meet more employers and strengthen existing relationships. I just wanted to provide you with a real-world example of what can be done to stand out above the other schools in your area. If you can be seen as a resource not only for potential new hires, but also a close partner in contributing value to your local industry through professional networking events that offer learning opportunities, you may have an advantage. It's all part of a robust employer engagement strategy. Thanks Paul for your forum participation. Robert Starks Jr.