High School Recruitment Step 3: Maintain Relationships
Follow Our 5-Step High School Recruitment Strategy
Building strong relationships isn’t a one-stop shop, and your school should be prepared to take all of the valuable connections you’ve made to the next level with this step. The third step of our 5-step high school recruitment strategy is all about maintaining relationships with your contacts.
Here’s what to think about when building and maintaining relationships!
Follow Trends
The career and technical education sector is no stranger to change, and it’s critical for your school to stay on top of industry news, the evolution of education, and other relevant trends. Staying in the know will help you get ahead of potential challenges for both your own school and your most important partners.
What frustrations are counselors facing today in helping their graduating students plan their educational futures? What hurdles are students facing when deciding what type of program to pursue? What’s changing about financial aid programs or student borrowing?
Offer Support
Remember that relationships are two-way streets. It’s easy to see how building rich relationships with high schools and other contacts can benefit your recruitment strategy, but it’s important to make sure you’re adding plenty of value too.
And if you’re paying attention to what obstacles your partners are facing, it could be as simple as stepping in to help. Offer hands-on demonstrations to get prospective students excited about the field. Develop webinars about the future of related careers and what graduates are experiencing in the industry today. Host workshops for students (and their parents) who may be overwhelmed by the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
Stay Visible
With more content coming at us than ever before on a daily (or hourly) basis, it’s easier than ever before to get lost in the shuffle. Don’t let that happen to your school! Stay in front of your contacts through your social media presence, drip email campaigns, virtual and on-site presentations, school events, and more. This is a great way to both keep your school’s brand front-of-mind for counselors and other student influencers and for demonstrating the value of your programs and student services.
Not sure how to develop an email campaign or dreading the hassle of hosting a webinar? Partner with the Imagine America Foundation! We offer tried-and-true outreach programs that come with access to our robust network of high school counselors, workforce boards, and VA offices—plus inclusion in our scholarship and award programs, opportunities to sponsor content, and much, much more.
About the 5-Step Recruitment Strategy
For more than twenty years, the Imagine America Foundation has been helping students get the hands-on training they need to start a new career. Now, that includes sharing valuable advice for schools who want to improve their high school recruitment strategy—and to reach the prospective students in their area who will most benefit from their programs.
Step 2: Establish Partnerships
Step 3: Maintain Relationships
Ready to learn more about how the Imagine America Foundation can help your school start or enhance its high school recruitment efforts? Get in touch with me today!
Lee Doubleday
Phone: 571.267.3015
Email: leed@imagine-america.org
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