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CAEL Quick Facts
Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
A 501(c)(3) non-profit national leader in adult learning for 40 years
Headquartered in Chicago; Colorado and Philadelphia offices since 1990
30 years working with employers to create learning strategies for the entry and mid-level workforce
Membership of more than 3,000 colleges, organizations, and individuals
Meaningful learning, credentials, and work for every adult
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Employer Engagement: What does it mean?
The Goal
Employers and colleges view EACH OTHER as strategic partners
It’s organization-wide It’s mutual It’s ongoing
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Employer Engagement: Why?
External reasons
With an eye to jobs, employment, workforce boards, and economic development, funders require this collaborative approach.
Increasing pressure on all fronts for college-prepared students to be ready to work
Internal reason
It’s the mission of the community college AND it doesn’t make sense to work in a vacuum.
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Let’s Check Perceptions
72% of educational leaders think newly educated workers are ready for work
BUT
42% of employers think these same workers are ready for work
Source: A Bersin study reported in CLO Magazine 3.22.13
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The Employer Engagement Pie
Curriculum
Governance
DonorsContinuing Ed
Marketing
Other?
The Engagement Pie
Curriculum
Governance
Donors
Continuing Ed
Marketing
Other?
What does it look like at your school?
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Continuum of Curriculum Engagement
Access to employees
Targeted curriculu
m
Customized
curriculum
Co-developed curriculu
m
Tuition discount
Tuition revenue
share
Joint ownership
of curriculu
m
No single “right’ way
Many models = lots of opportunity and flexibility
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Employer Advisors – Employer Partners
Employers as Advisors Employers as Partners
Attend business advisory meeting
Deep involvement in:• Identifying critical competencies• Curriculum assessment and design• Work-based learning• Internships• Providing adjunct faculty, equipment, teaching materials
Respond to surveys and placement data
Help design and implement surveys & interpret data
Work individually with units in the school to get customized training needs met
Work with colleges OVER TIME to address workforce needs
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Employer Advisors – Employer Partners
Employers as Advisors Employers as Partners
Discuss the importance of higher skills and advise on curriculum
Work with colleges and their partners to provide detailed direction about requisite competencies, both current and future
Participate on “as needed” when asked by college or program staff
Continual involvement in program design and refinement
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Let’s Take a Moment
This isn’t easy!
College side• We bring employers to our campus and
they’re polite, but that’s about it.• We don’t have time, dedicated
personnel, and
• What colleges don’t say
Employer side• Colleges take too long to decide• It’s all “academic speak”
and • What employers don’t say
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1. Is your school a strategic source in your employers’ pipeline?
Here’s what the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce reported:
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More Success Factors
2. Is your partnership employer driven? How can you find out?
3. Is there diverse and regular college-employer contact? Where is it happening? At what levels of both organizations? How often? What are the outcomes?
4. Are college curriculum goals set by the industry?
5. Measure! Form a framework of co-defined metrics
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Wrap Up
1. Examples of CAEL’s work with other colleges
2. Comments?
3. What’s next?
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Susan KannelAssociate VP for Employer ServicesCouncil for Adult and Experiential Learning
Contact Information
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Creative Commons Attribution
Workforce Solutions by Colorado Helps Advanced Manufacturing Program
is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.cccs.edu.