Transformation in Community Colleges: Strategic Enrollment Management

In a recent article for Community College Times, Terri Giltner of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System discussed community colleges’ transformation to meet the changing needs of students and the economy. Specifically, marketing and communications efforts are getting a facelift to meet colleges’ collective goal of producing an additional five million graduates by the year 2020.

The new marketing approach is more than just PR; for colleges on the leading edge, it has expanded to encompass the concept of strategic enrollment management (SEM). “SEM is the realization that colleges need to expand their enrollment focus from just attracting students and encouraging admitted students to enroll, to viewing student admission as the beginning of a relationship that continues through the period of enrollment to graduation and beyond.”

Here at EMSI, building that relationship is what drives us as we strive to help community colleges. We’ve seen that without a relationship, without a vision for what they’re doing at college, students won’t stick with it, they won’t graduate, and then it’s hit-or-miss finding the career that’s right for them. EMSI’s Career Coach tool solves these problems by strengthening the relationship from the get-go: giving students a clear idea of what local careers are suited for them and exactly how they relate to the programs each college offers.

Giltner states that “for the first time, there is a growing national recognition of the vital role community colleges play in America’s higher education system by preparing people for some of the most highly skilled and high-demand occupations in the 21st century.” EMSI’s Career Coach helps colleges maintain that vital role and fulfill their mission: bottom line, help students get good careers.

Related Links

The Importance of Creating a Career Vision — Discover the key steps that colleges can take to convince students to enroll, get them to complete their education, and help them find the right career.

McKinsey’s “Education to Employment” Report Highlights EMSI’s Career Coach – McKinsey sheds light on the shortage of hard data on the skills gap.

Career Coach a New Tool for Mount Wachusett Community College — Mount Wachusett Community College becomes the first college in Massachusetts to use Career Coach.

If you have questions or would like to learn more about Career Coach, please contact Rob Sentz ([email protected]). Here is a list of resources and case studies that relate to Career Coach.