Benefits to Offer Your Grads
If you were to start an Alumni Association at your campus today, what are the benefits you are prepared to offer your grads? What benefits can you offer in the future?
The benefits are always long term. It also keeps all parties connected.
Jennifer,
All of those offer great benefits for your graduates.
June Gudeman
i would provide more cont education and workshops to enhance their job search experience. Eventually an annual job fair with quality employers.
Leticia,
What types of career placement services would you offer to your grads? What ideas do you have for helping them network?
June Gudeman
I would like to focus on career placement, continuing education and networking.
Karen,
It sounds like you have a good feel for what will be of benefit for your graduates. You have mentioned several very valuable options that will continue to bring them back to you and that's the goal. Be sure to set up your systems so you continue to gather their updated contact information each time they come to you looking for something you're offering.
June Gudeman
Our school is not only a small school, but it is a specialized program. The benefits I feel we could offer to our alumni would be specific to their career. Once they are licensed, they need to take CEU's to renew their licensed every two years. We would not only offer seminars for them to get their CEU's but offer Alumni a reduced rate. Also we keep current updated information about CEU's required and where and when they are available. Keep current information on the Alumni website about job opportunities and any changes in rules and regulations about their industry that would effect their business. Post and host review courses for alumni that have not gotten their license yet to help them pass the boards. Information about furthering their education in their field either here in the United States or in China. We could also host other seminars that are not specifically in their industry but could compliment and enhance their practice.
Susan,
Great ideas Susan! You are right on in your thoughts to provide career services that would benefit your graduates. It is the number one reason our alumni come back to us. Probably the second service that our grads are looking for and appreciate are opportunities to network. I like your ideas.
June Gudeman
Initially, Alumni Associations should be able to provide graduates with job interview skills, resume writing, and confidence building workshops. I think this is a good start and foundation to build on. The next step would be to offer mock interviews, and continue to build relationships with employers in the community. Networking events and up-to-date blogs providing information to graduates is also really important. Although a graduate is no longer in school, they should be able to seek reading resources which a school can provide.
As we have set up the part of our website dedicated to Alumni and as we are about to begin our Alumni Association we have the following benefits available:
A free Alumni program during our residence training programs.
A specially developed logo for our Grads to use.
A Practitioners Brochure
A free listing on our website
An invitation to present their work at our school.
An annual Alumni Gathering-designed for further training, networking, community building and goal setting for Alumni.
We are thinking of ways to make some of our lectures available on MP3 for free for our Grads.
Matt,
The number one reason our graduates return to our institutions is for career services, so you are certainly on track. I like your other ideas, especially the option for reduced tuition -- that's always a draw for our grads. Keep brainstorming, possibly even invite ideas from your alumni.
June Gudeman
The benefits I would like the AA to offer to start with would be workshops for career/skill improvement, local discounts, access to participate in advisory board meetings/campus events and special pricing for branded items from our bookstore.
Future benefits could include national discounts, reduced tuition at "sister schools" and alumni specific events/get togethers.
Jodi,
I like your idea of a consistent event. This allows your alumni to plan and be able to count on a regular event. I'd encourage you to include some graduates on your planning team to get feedback on what would be a 'draw' to attend those events. Everyone is so busy and finding the right venue, timing, and services that would be a benefit to your alumni will be important.
June Gudeman
I also like the idea of a consistent, standing event 1-2 times per year that the graduates know to mark their calendars for. Maybe it's a big once a year reunion for everyone, with smaller events sprinkled throughout the year.
Bradley,
When it comes to deciding on 'benefits' for our graduates, we need to think like an alumni. What would be a benefit to me? It might even be a worthwhile activity to poll some of your grads and find out what they view as a 'benefit'. In this economy any offers in the area of career services would be an obvious plus to offer your grads.
June Gudeman
as an institution that focuses largely on vocational and trades programming, i would envision our initial list of benefits to be things that would help a new worker, or someone early in their work career...
so, things like opportunities to apply for a credit card without a credit history, job application/resume writing assistance, financial planning assistance... again depending on budgets, there could also be discount opportunities for returning to the institution to continue your training, such as for upgrading or safety courses etc...
Debbie,
Are there other benefits you could offer your alumni? Do you offer, for example, free refresher courses? Could you provide free Transcript Request services or do your offer Career Services after graduation?
June Gudeman
A benefit would be that your child could go, at the same price that an in state child would attend. ( if they were out of state )
Mary,
You may also want to think about asking them for their feedback or success stories. These are great tools to use for general marketing, to post on your alumni site, use to encourage your current staff, etc. Also, you may want to think through how you could provide a way for them to update their information on the website so you can stay connected with them.
June Gudeman
