Esmail,
Students are ultimately responsible for a colleges outcomes. How is the faculty and staff responsible to assist those student achieve their goals that impact the outcomes?
Cindy Bryant
I would stress the fact that student is ultimately responsible for all outcomes, educational, financial, placement and overall success.
If I had to choose only one disclosure I believe I would give the Student Performance Fact Sheet as it gives a good depiction of graduate success rates in having the retention rate, the employment rate, and the salary information for the program the prospective student is considering for enrollment.
The cost of the program in relation to their jobs opportunities. Many programs downplay the cost of college education and misslead students on real job opportunities and average compensation.
Tiera,
It is very important to inform the students of any licensing and certifications that are required for their career. Great Job!
Cindy Bryant
I would disclose to them to need for a clean criminal background in order to obtain their liscense in the field of study. I have heard so many horro stories from students who took programs, received financial aid and was unable to receive a liscense due to criminal records. I think that if the individual who commited crimes in the past is willing to make a change for the better to try and become productive memebrs of society the least we can do is point them in the right directions. If we don't then who would be the criminals then?
simone,
Thank you for responding to my question.
Cindy Bryant
Well, on my opinion license rates are one of the most important because show the quality of instruction the students are receiving at the school. If my rates fall from 90s to 60s the school needs to reevaluate the instructors, curriculum and students' motivation. I think I keep it as my most important disclosure ( no license = no job).
Simone,
Thank you for sharing your fantastic licensing rate. As a point of discussion, what if your licensing rate was 60%, would you remain as quick to make it your most important disclosure?
Cindy Bryant
I would choose to disclose the licensing rates . Since I work on educational department and our students passing rates on state board are more than 90%.
Christine,
Welcome to the forum. Can you explain how your school discloses placement rates to potential students?
Cindy Bryant
I feel the placement rates are important to disclose to students as they need to be aware of the employment potential, or lack of, for the training they are seeking.
Michelle,
The ultimate goal of every student is to have an exciting career. As a career college we are obligated to provide them with the best possible opportunity to achieve that goal. Understanding the placement rates and what they can expect is critical. Placement information must be relayed clearly and concisely so that there are no misunderstandings.
Check your state regulations because they may provide additional guidance on the delivery of such information.
Cindy Bryant
I would choose to inform the prospective student of the placement rate for his/her program. Students come to career colleges to attain a skill that will provide him/her with gainful employment. I think providing the student with accurate placement information allows him/her to decide whether the path he/she is choicing is the correct for him/her. In addition, it allows the student to decide if the career path chosen is the correct one for him/her. It may be that the student is interested in more than one program. With the information he/she may decide to choose a different program that, according to the placement rate, will give the student a more viable chance to attain employment.
Lisa,
Disclosing financial aid and the impact it will have on the student's monetary resources is critical. They need to be advised thoroughly and have the opportunity to ask questions.
Cindy Bryant
I would disclose the financials. Students should be thoroughly aware, long before they decide on a school, about what their financial obligations are going to be, what kind of debt they are looking at, how long they anticipate it will take to pay that debt off with the salary from their new career, etc.
Danielle,
Welcome to the forum. In this repressed market students have suffered significantly while seeking employment. However, I believe that the "traditional" college graduates have had a bigger challenge than skilled graduates. The good news is reported in a Bloomberg article, there is an expected 10.2% upturn in the employment market this year which will be very helpful. Another factor that will increase employ-ability is the fact that last year the oldest members of the Baby Boom generation celebrated their 65th birthday. In fact, every year, and for every day for the next 19 years, 10,000 baby boomers will reach age 65. This will open the door to massive opportunities for our graduates. Thank you for reminding us of what our sector does so well.
Cindy Bryant
I would do a disclosure on the graduation rate. I would like this one because I myself am close to graduating at my college and I think that this will motivate other students to want to see their program to completion.
I’m partial to employment rates (which may or will also eventually show gainful employment of wages). As a career service adviser, I am proud that employment numbers for all of our programs are above (some well above) the standard, and this was before the standard had been lowered. This is an area that proves to prospective students and the community that we do our job and follow our own mission and goals. If we do not meet our mission of providing excellent career training, we cannot meet the goal of producing a highly skilled employable graduate. Employers are the customer of this product – they will only hire and retain those that can do the job.
The one disclosure that is very important is what is expected of the student to be a successful graduate. They need to know up front what courses are needed to be completed in order for them to graduate and the amount of commitment is asked from them to be successful in these courses.
