1. Growing Your Program: Marketing & Quality
Ben mccumber
Program development coordinator
Rockdale career academy

2. Why is recruitment and retention of quality students important?
Programs that become a dumping ground die!
If your program dies:
You suffer
Your students suffer
Your school suffers
Your community suffers

3. “The Word of Your Career is RECRUIT!”
Recruitment
Sign in my CTAE Director’s office:
“The Word of Your Career is RECRUIT!”

4. Recruitment Educate Administration and Counselors Brand Your Program
Create Marketing Materials
Hold Tours/Information Sessions
Organize Camps/Saturday Sessions
Volunteer at Community Events
Use the Media

5. Educate Administration and Counselors
What do you do?
What careers do you cover?
What type of students excel in your program?
What are your goals and expectations?

6. Brand What do you call your program? Logo
EX: RCA Public Safety Academy
Logo
EX:

7. Marketing Materials Posters Brochures Cards Tri-Fold
Website:

8. Tours/Information Sessions
Rising 9th grade tours
CTAE Days
Curriculum Nights
Parent Meetings
Recruitment Open House

9. Camps/Saturday Sessions
Forensics Camp
Mock Trial
Jr. Police Academy
Jr. Fire Academy
*Combine with another program to split time.
*Parents want Elementary and Middle School Kids doing stuff during breaks!

10. Community Events Volunteer at/take student volunteers to:
Athletic Events
Festivals
Car Shows
Conferences
Relay for Life
*Great for retention too!

11. Media Get in your local paper Get on Social Media Do Press Releases
Every school and system should have a PR person. Use them!

12. Retention
You can recruit your tail off but it doesn’t matter if you don’t keep any of them!

13. Retention Curriculum and Instruction Uniforms/Logo Expectations
Innovation
Data

14. Curriculum and Instruction
What will they learn?
Don’t bait and switch!
What will they do?
Down with Textbooks!
Hands on
Make it real and relevant
What can they earn?
Certifications
College Credit
Work Based Learning Credit

15. Uniforms/Logo Design and sell a uniform Make it part of your program
Have students wear it at least once a week and to any community events
Students want to take ownership of the program and be set apart from their peers.

16. Expectations Handbook for your program
Rules and expectations in your classroom
Let students know that they represent your program at all times
Academic expectations

17. Innovation Keep it fresh: Participate in state curriculum decisions
Look for new technology
Bring in Experts
Don’t do the same thing you have always done just because you have always done it

18. Data Keep up with how many students you recruit each year
See how many students you keep from year to year
Look at your test scores
Surveys: Students and Parents

19. QUESTIONS?

20. bmccumber@rockdale.k12.ga.us 770-388-5677 EXT 31108
Contact Information
EXT 31108