Western Montgomery County Career and Technology Center: Utilizing Recruitment Strategies and Brand Exposure Techniques to Increase Enrollment

Posted on Author webadminCategories Communications, Parent Engagement, Preparing for Non-Traditional Fields, Recruitment and Retention, Student Engagement

At a Glance

At Western Montgomery County Career and Technology Center (WMCTC), the administrative team and faculty implemented innovative recruitment and marketing strategies to support student enrollment.

Description

In 2010 WMCTC completed a 38 million dollar total renovation of its facilities and programs. The renovation was expected to spur an enrollment growth. However, without a strategic recruitment plan in place, low enrollment continued with fewer than 400 students enrolled in a CTC with capacity for 750 students.

Newly appointed Administrative Director Christopher Moritzen identified enrollment issues and the support of low-enrolled CTE programs as a priority. He and the administrative team focused on marketing/recruitment strategies and ultimately on changing stakeholders’ perception of the school’s role and purpose for students and the community. The team recognized that a joint effort among multiple stakeholders was required to make this newfound focus a reality.

Efforts to increase student enrollment centered on the following key issues:

  • Marketing individual programs;
  • Reaching out to non-traditional students;
  • Branding and marketing the CTC;
  • Increasing students’ quality of life;
  • Community outreach;
  • Using social media; and
  • Building business and industry partnerships.

Administrators implemented a variety of strategies. (Their work was presented during a PACTA Symposium breakout session in February 2018; see attached presentation slides for more information.) For example, an online application now makes the process more accessible to prospective students. Students in grades five, eight and nine tour the building, and faculty give presentations about WMCTC in elementary schools. Community involvement among various stakeholders was increased including the Chamber of Commerce and several businesses. These efforts are funded through the CTC’s general fund.

Impact

WMCTC continues to focus on marketing and recruitment strategies and the impact is positive. From 2014 to 2017, enrollment at WMCTC increased approximately 50 percent, from 400 to over 600 students. Further, three programs are no longer at risk of being cut due to enrollment increases.

Click HERE to download supporting presentation.

Contact

Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center
www.westerncenter.org

Christopher Moritzen, Administrative Director
cmoritzen@westerncenter.org

Supporting Files