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The New AuthenticityMarketing Career-Technical
Education (CTE) in Colorado
Elaine Evans

• CACTA Conference
• Presented by A3 Creative Group
• February 5, 2009

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Who We Are

• A3 Creative Group, LLC
• Randall Duckett, President, and Steven
  Friedlander, CEO
• Serves clients in the education-communications
  arena
• Project Lead The Way (PLTW)
• Texas Education Agency (AchieveTexas)
• National Action Council for Minorities in
  Engineering (NACME)
• Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GAPSC)
• Ford Motor Company Fund (Ford PAS/NGLC)
• National Geographic Society
• Texas Monthly Custom Publishing

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Portfolio Samples
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What We Will Do Today

• Share key observations we have made about
  Colorado CTE
• Review messaging about Colorado CTE for all its
  audiences
• Suggest a brand identity for Colorado CTE
• Distribute a Message Matrix
• Answer your questions

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Colorado CTE A Snapshot

• In a short 2.5 years, the state has finalized its
  CTE plan under Perkins
• A system of career clusters, pathways, and plans
  of study is being implemented
• 120,000 students are currently participating in
  Colorado CTE
• More than 92,000 students are enrolled at the
  high school level 27,000 at the post-secondary
  level
• Approximately 94 percent of students who have
  completed a CTE program are either in a jobor
  continuing their education one year later

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Situation Analysis

• 12 Key Observations About Colorado CTE

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What We Did

• Interviewed dozens of people whose names were
  provided the Colorado Community College System
  (CCCS)
• Reviewed hundreds of documents and websites
  related to Colorado CTE
• Benchmarked Colorado CTE against our experience
  in other states
• Conducted qualitative research

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Key Observations

• Colorado has made laudable progress implementing
  CTE.
• The political, economic, and cultural
  environments are ripe for CTE.
• A3 has coined this marketing environment the New
  Authenticity

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Key Observations

• Colorado has made laudable progress implementing
  CTE.
• The political, economic, and cultural
  environments are ripe for CTE.
• State leaderships support of CTE is uneven.
• Awareness and understanding of CTE are low.
• Coloradans who know about it see the value of
  CTE.
• In Colorado, CTE has not connected the dots
  with STEM.

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Key Observations

• Business is on board, but is underleveraged.
• Higher education is not meaningfully involved.
• It is an advantage to link CTE across secondary
  and postsecondary levels.
• Existing CTE messaging is not oriented to its
  core customers.
• Resources for marketing CTE are scarce.
• CTE needs a robust marketing and messaging
  program.

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Colorado CTE Messaging

• A Recommendation for Branding Colorado CTE

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Core Messaging

• A core message identifies what is most important
  or unique about a product, service, program, etc.
  
• A core message keeps everyone on the same page
• With a core message, additional messages can be
  adapted to changing circumstance
• Having a core message is especially important for
  a program like CTE, because of CTEs multiple
  program applications, constituencies, and points
  of contact
• Having a core message for CTE is especially
  important in Colorado, where the market is so
  varied and diffuse

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A Core Message for Colorado CTE

• What is unique and valuable about Colorado CTE?
• Its new (not your parents vocational education)
• Its not just classes at school, but a whole
  system of opportunity
• It offers concretenot abstractsolutions to
  students and parents
• It is relevant and rigorouslike the real world
• It is authentic

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What Is Colorado CTE?

• Its for learning, for earning, for living...
• It is
• For Real

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Colorado CTEFor Real

• For Real is a term used by Millennials as
  emphasis, a question, a reaction
• Its now being picked up by early adopters Biden
  clip using for real here in the Boomer
  generation
• It connotes
• authentic, legitimate, sincere
• concrete, actual, practical
• not virtual, not theoretical, not abstract
• It offers plenty of creative possibilities

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Logo Treatments
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Logo Treatments
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Logo Treatments
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Message Matrix

• Targeting Messaging to Critical CTE
  Constituencies

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What is a Message Matrix?

• A list of key audiences matched to targeted
  messages for those audiences
• Analysis of barriers and solutions to overcoming
  them
• Ideas for ways to reach the audiences
• A hymnal that keeps everyone on the same page

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Colorado CTE Message Matrix

• This is a tool for you to take back to your
  community to help you spread consistent and
  compelling messages about CTE
• The For Real message is the first one on each
  list
• This is followed by more targeted messages that
  will work for each audience

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Example Students

• K-12 Students
• P-8
• 9-12
• Community CollegeCollege/University
• Adult Basic Education

• Special Populations (etc.)
• LEP
• Disadvantaged
• Teen parents
• English-language learners

• Higher Education Students
• Two-year
• Four-year
• Apprentice
• Military

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Students Key Messages

• CTE is For Real
• For Real-World Learning and Skills
• For Real Relevance and Rigor
• For Real Achievement
• For Real Career Success
• CTECareer success in the 21st century economy
• Jump-start your college and career experience
  with CTE
• Find your passion through CTE

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Students Barriers

• Many students follow their parents lead
  uncritically in choosing an academic path to
  four-year college
• Many students are unaware of what CTE is
• Students believe CTE is second class for slower
  students

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Students Solutions

• Market CTE starting as early as middle school
• Establish CTE as a brand students know and
  understand
• Use success stories to establish role models for
  students to emulate
• Put an attractive face on CTE so that it appears
  cool to students
• Position CTE as a smart choice for ALL students
  and as part of a well-rounded education
• Sell CTSOs as perfect opportunities to develop
  leadership, teamwork, and other soft skills

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Students Media

• Peer-to-peer word-of-mouth (starting with CTSO
  members)
• Have students market CTE themselves at job
  fairs/CTSO days in art contests
• Encourage social-media groups
• Use materials that showcase an attractive,
  exciting CTE, its programs, and its success
  stories (in English and Spanish), including plans
  of study brochures

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Students Media

• Make CTE students first call for school
  volunteer efforts, tutoring younger students,
  participation in grant-supported projects, etc,
  such as through Learn and Serve America
• Market CTSOs to all students
• Create bumperstickers, skins for laptops and
  other devices
• Use new/interactive media, including podcasts on
  clusters and YouTube student videos
• Tap local and statewide celebrities to be
  spokespeople

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Example Business

• Employers
• Chambers of commerce
• Economic development officials
• Workforce development officials
• Professional associations
• Blue-collar workersskilledtrades
• Unionsapprenticeships
• Businesslocal, professional,unions

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Business Messages

• CTE is For Real
• For Real-World Learning and Skills
• For Real Relevance and Rigor
• For Real Achievement
• For Real Career Success
• CTE is the source of a highly skilled,
  well-educated workforce
• CTE partnerships can help you have an impact on
  schools programs and product
• CTE is a source of Science, Technology,
  Engineering, and Math (STEM) workers

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Business Barriers

• Perception that CTE focuses on low-level inferior
  skills
• Burn-out from previous education-business
  partnerships impatience with slow pace of change
• Education is not clear about what it wants from
  business partners
• CTE needs to constantly cultivate communications
  with business because of turnover
• Different cultures between education and business

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The Culture Gap

• Public service
• People
• Consensus
• Process
• Knowledge
• Eyes on your own paper
• Pass the test
• Equality and fairness

• Profit
• Human resources
• Command
• Results
• Skills
• Work together as a team
• Perform
• Survival of the fittest

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Business Solutions

• Be direct and specific with business partners
  about expectations and contributions they can
  make, such as presentations, internships, and job
  shadowing
• Educate employers about what CTE is really all
  abouthigh-skill, high wage jobs
• Show CTE in action through successful students
• Form close, ongoing partnerships with local
  employers
• Find common interests that benefit both education
  and employers
• Connect the dots between Colorados economic
  development and workforce development needs and
  CTE

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Business Media

• Use peer-to-peer word-of-mouth marketing,
  starting with Colorado Succeeds
• Distribute materials that clearly and concisely
  explain the benefits of CTE, including better
  educated students in employers language
• Recruit successful CTE students to speak to civic
  clubs, professional associations, conventions,
  etc.
• Use free or low-cost media to package information
  for business, including websites
• Partner with local chambers of commerce
• Recruit and groom CTE champions from business to
  use political capital to focus policymakers on
  CTE as a school-improvement strategy
• Support and expand Colorado Succeeds to embrace a
  larger community of employers
• Align CTE with efforts to improve STEM education

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10 Key To Dos to Take Home

• Use the For Real core message consistently and
  constantly
• Remember the New Authenticity
• Organize grass-roots, word-of-mouth networks to
  market CTE
• Present at all local meetings, conferences
• Expand Colorado Succeeds
• Show CTE in action through school visits, student
  success stories

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10 Key To Dos to Take Home

• Invest in at least a basic set of materials with
  key messages
• Use new and nontraditional media
• Pitch news to media to create buzz
• Recruit high-profile local movers and shakers to
  champion CTE as spokespeople
• Connect the dots between CTE and local STEM
  efforts, workforce development, and economic
  development

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Closing Thoughts

• CTE can be a central part of reinventing
  education in Colorado
• The challenge is to get the word out and to
  overcome baggage from the past
• The state cannot afford to mount a mass
  campaignit is up to you to conduct grassroots
  outreach locally
• By following the messaging and strategies we have
  recommended today, you and your colleagues can
  ensure that CTE is successful in Colorado

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Thank You!

• Randall Duckett and Steven Friedlander
• 437 Country Run Circle
• Powell, TN 37849
• 865-405-3785
• Info_at_A3CreativeGroup.com