Joining Voices
Employer Outreach Activities
Activity 1
Identify most appropriate team of 2-3 college staff to meet with employers individually to discuss joint interests and how you might partner to benefit both the employer and the college.
Activity 2
Initiate conversations at the company CEO and college president level to discuss ways your college could benefit from the employer’s voice at local, state, and national forums.
Activity 3
After brainstorming the initiatives your employers are passionate about, look for an intersection where your college can assist them and they can assist you. Skills training and apprenticeships, for example, are areas where the interests and activities of colleges and employers naturally intersect.
Activity 4
Branding (e.g., attaching a company logo or name to a college lab or building) is an effective way to highlight your joint interests. It demonstrates a high level of trust that the college must be dedicated to upholding.
Activity 5
Invite 5-7 strong employer partners to your state Capitol to meet with legislators to discuss the importance of a skilled workforce and community college CTE programs. Make sure to do an orientation at the start of the day, feed them, gather immediate feedback on how the day went, and follow up with thank you notes before the end of the day.
Activity 6
Invite strong employer partners to co-present on successful partnership efforts at state or national workforce development conferences. Share event highlights via social media.
Activity 7
Invite strong employer partners to advocate that local organizations (i.e. workforce development board, economic development organizations) prioritize their resources to support college CTE programs and/or apprenticeship programs as the best means of closing skills gaps.
Activity 8
Invite strong employer partners to pen a letter of support in a local newspaper or business journal advocating for community college CTE funding and sharing the positive outcomes the partnership has had on their business.
