Successful Marketing Strategies for Career and Technical Education

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Successful Marketing Strategies for Career and
Technical Education Presented by Janee
GretoCommunity Information Specialist
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What are the biggest obstacles in marketing a
career technical education facility?

• Convincing parents and students that career
  technical education students are prepared to go
  to college.
• Career technical education can be the best
  choice for traditional academic students (college
  prep and business majors)

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Key to a successful marketing planCareer
technical education is not a different form of
education, it is an outstanding enhancement to a
childs present education that can afford them
workforce training and post-secondary educational
opportunities.
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Know what type of career technical school you
are

• Comprehensive offering academics and career and
  technical training
• Shared or part-time offering limited academics
  and career and technical training
• Or a combination of both

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Get to know your school
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Know what programs your school offers and what
career clusters they fall into.

• Arts Humanities
• Business Communications
• Industrial Engineering
• Health Human Services
• Actively participate in any career awareness
  programs in place at your facility

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Know the students you serve

• Grade levels
• School districts
• Percentage of students attending from each
  district
• Location of each district (urban or rural)
• Percentage of students attending that are
  Special Education, Gifted, At Risk, Physically
  Challenged, etc.

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Determining your target audiencewill help you
determine your action steps.

• Students, present and future
• Parents, present and future
• Educators
• School Administrators
• Community

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You will need separate actions for each target
audience

• Students, present and future
• Parents, present and future
• Educators
• School Administrators
• Community

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Products of a successful marketing plan

• Eye-catching lab brochures
• Informational insert for all sending schools
  course guides
• User friendly web site
• Downloadable brochures
• Videos and PowerPoint presentations
• Virtual tours/fly-bys
• Interest survey
• Online registration/adult and high school
• Contact information/request for information
• Course guide book

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Essentials of a successful marketing plan

• Student ambassadors
• Marquee
• Open house activities
• Summer Fun Camps
• Field trips and class demonstrations
• Community services projects
• Student organizations/competitions

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Essentials of a successful student centered
action setp

• Student-of-the-month program
• Miss School/Miss Out program
• P.A.S.S. Awards
• Senior Recognition Evening
• Student appreciation day
• Career technical education week activities

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Reaching students as your target audience

• Generally, the best way to reach students is
  through a fast-paced multi-media presentation or
  radio spot.
• Bombarding students with quick images, rather
  than words appears to afford them better
  retention.
• Students like seeing themselves and others in
  similar situations, this allows them to visualize
  a situation better.

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Reaching students through radio ads

• Another way to reach students is through a
  fast-paced radio spot on a popular radio station.
  (Also consider a Spanish speaking station if you
  have a large Spanish speaking population.)
• Popular music (research your students likes and
  dislikes in music and stations) is essential for
  a radio spot.
• Play your add during the early morning (commuter
  time), 600 800 a.m. and at night between 900
  1100 p.m. (homework time for most students)

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Reaching students with a multi-media presentation

• Another way to reach students is through a video
  presentation, interactive wearable computers,
  PowerPoint and distance learning presentations.
• Be sure to use popular music as part of the
  presentation and have your images move quickly.
• It is best to present to students early in the
  day, rather than later.

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Reaching students with a gift

• Inexpensive giveaways are also extremely useful.
  Include your contact information, web site url
  and short statement that described your facility.
• Keychains
• Wipe off boards
• Frisbees
• Hats
• Foam objects
• Remember, nothing that can become a projectile
  should be used.

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Reaching parents as your target audience through
these action steps

• Multi-media presentations
• Meet the teacher night
• Open House
• PTO meetings
• Parent/teacher conferences
• Orientations
• Include the presentation on your Web site

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Tips on parent materials

• Brochures and handouts
• Short, concise and lots of photos
• Colorful and grammatically correct
• Consider personalizing the brochure to each
  childs choices
• Easy to locate contact information
• Mention Web site address

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Tips on parent materials

• Meetings and assemblies
• Short, concise and fast-paced
• Use lots of photos
• PowerPoint presentations
• Stress words like state-of-the-art, technology
  enriched,
• Mention Web site address
• Short videos
• Virtual tours/fly-bys

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Reaching teachers, the community and business as
your target audience

• Determine the make-up of your audience.
• Education professionals
• Retired individuals
• Business professionals
• Volunteers

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Reaching educators, the community and businesses
as your target audience

• Presentations and brochures about
• Job Shadows
• Cooperative Education
• Industry retraining
• Adult and continuing education
• Job placement for graduates
• Occupational advisory board positions
• Invite them to board meetings and open houses

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Lehigh Career Technical Institute

• 4500 Education Park Drive
• Schnecksville, PA 18078
• 610-799-2300
• www.lcti.org
• Janee Greto,
• Community Information Specialist
• gretoj_at_lcti.org
• 610-799-1450