MCTC staff photo link to recruitment effectiveness product
Maysville CTC Skills U PLC 2018-2019
The Maysville PLC wanted to boost student enrollment in each of their counties, so they decided to survey students about how they heard of the program. The instructors designed the survey and administered the survey to all current students. They compiled and discussed the results, which will be used to change their recruitment strategies and money allocation for the next fiscal year.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

 

Our PLC analyzed our data and determined that one area of concern was our low enrollment numbers. We are helping our students earn MSGs, but we need more students in order to attain our goals. We brainstormed ways to address this issue and decided to create a survey to give to all current students in order to elicit their feedback on the best recruitment strategies. We felt that giving the students a voice could give us valuable perspective and build rapport among instructors and students. Each instructor tallied the results of their student surveys, and one person compiled all those responses into one Survey Results document.

LIVE AND LEARN, MESSY MOMENTS

 

We would also add this question: How can we help you? Some possible choices would be time management, study skills, test-taking strategies, organization, study skills, career information, assistance entering post-secondary education, and a blank for a write-in answer.

 

We would also add a follow-up question to #1. What do you think we could do to encourage more adults to enroll in our educational programs? We want this question to have a blank for a write-in answer.

 

We also wanted to add follow-up questions after the question about previous attempts at earning a GED®. Instructors wanted to know in what county and when the student enrolled previously in KY Skills U.

 

We made all of these changes in our Survey with Revisions (under Blank Documents for Replication).

 

Ideally, we feel that this should be a year-long project and that the students’ responses should be compiled and discussed among team members quarterly.

MASTERY MOMENTS

 

We were proud that we found out new information about which recruitment strategies were working in our counties. This information helps the director create a budget around the most successful recruitment strategies.

 

We are most proud of the fact that we gave the students a voice in determining what recruitment strategies we will use in the future.

 

Another positive note was the students were very willing to participate in the survey and offer their input. This fostered better relationships between instructors and students.

 

The preliminary outcomes are that students come to our centers first and foremost through their family members and friends. The second most effective recruiting strategy was through current or former students. Some other recruiting strategies that had some effect on student enrollment were drug court, Kentucky career centers, post-secondary schools, libraries, and parole officers. It’s also significant to note that the following recruitment strategies did not bring in any of the current students: their jobs, radio, tv, or newspaper ads, flyers, social media, online searches, or direct mailings.

 

Students were able to write-in an answer for how they heard about the program. Those answers included KTAP office, testing center, welfare office, job fair, mail carrier, and jail.

 

Now that we realize that the most effective types of recruitment are referrals from current or former students or family members, we are thinking of ways to maximize this impact.

WHAT DO WE NEED TO CLONE THIS PRODUCT?

 

Student Survey

Tracking Sheet

WHAT IS THE PROCESS?

 

  1. Use the revised survey provided or create your own survey for students. Survey students during Orientation or once they’ve attained 12 hours.
  2. Use the blank document to compile your answers provided or create your own spreadsheet for compilation of survey information.
  3. Distribute surveys to all instructors.
  4. Explain the purpose behind the survey and the timeline for administering the survey and compiling data. We suggest beginning in July and continuing to administer the survey to new students throughout the fiscal year.
  5. Upon completion of the project, designate someone to compile the instructors’ spreadsheets into one so that data can be analyzed and discussed quarterly.