DOCUMENT RESUME ED 342 983 CE 060 596 AUTHOR Bennett, Linda L. TITLE Teamwork: The Name of the Game in Recruitment. INSTITUTION Gateway Vocational Technical School, Batesville, Ark.; Ozarka Vocational Technical School, Melbourne, AR.; White River Vocational Technical School, Newport, AR. SPONS AGENCY Arkansas State Dept. of Education, Little Rock. Div. of Vocational and Technical Education. PUB DATE Jun 91 NOTE 108p.; For the final report, see CE 060 54; for a related manual, see CE 060 595. PUB TYPE Guides - Non-Classroom Use (055) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC05 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Communications; Enrollment; *Enrollment Influences; *Marketing; Mass Media; Mass Media Role; Nonprint Media; Planning; Postsecondary Education; *Publicity; *Public Relations; Student Attitudes; *Student Recruitment; Teacher Attitudes; Visual Aids; *Vocational Schools ABSTRACT This manual offers hints, guidelines, and suggestions for reaching prospective students for vocational training. Its main premise centers around alerting, encouraging, and assisting the student. A team effort is promoted; each staff member must be a part of the whole recruitment team. A section on advance planning focuses on analysis of the school situation by answering three questions: students must determine who they are, where they want to go, and how they want to get there. The next five sections focus on these methods for recruiting students: print, news, visuals, displays and exhibits, and presentations. Suggestions for design and development of specific types of these general recruitment methods are made. The following section provides additional recruitment information. It suggests possible recruiting contacts and other recruitmPrt tools or tactics. Appendixes, amounting to over half the nanual "lude the following: planning materials, such as a list of target vs, forms and checklists, sample calendars, and outline for deveioping a marketing plan for vocational education; sample staff and student recruitment questionnaires; materials on image; information on development of a fact sheet; news and print information; materials on presentations, including a sample outlinc, for a short presentation and helpful suggestions for organizing an open house; suggestions for visuals; a list of innovative recruitment practices; and a list of 44 references. (YLB) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the o:iginal document. *****************************P***************************************** A 1611 RLF3?, Te%lameo4 javIA re cfu± A 1 V5156h U S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS Offs e of Educational Peseaich and Improvement MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY ED CATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER Imo This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it C Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this dock, TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ment do not necessarily represent official 0E1,11 position or policy INFORMATION CEkiTER (ERIC)." BEST COPYAVM! ARI r TEAMWORK: THE NAME OF THE GAME IN RECRUITMENT Linda L. Bennett Recruitment/Retention Coordinator Gateway Vo-Tech, Batesville, Arkansas Ozarka Vo-Tech, Me'bourne, Arkansas White River Vo-Tech, Newport, Arkansas Funding for this project was provided by the Carl Perkins Vocational Education Act under a grant from the Vo-Tech Division of the State Department of Education. TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface iil 2 Introduction 4 Advanced Planning 8 Print News 12 19 Visuals Displays and Exhibits 22 26 Presentations 33 Additional RecruitmentInformation 38 Conclusion 41-96 Appendixes Appendix A--Planning Appendix B--SampleQuestionnaires Appendix C--Image Appendix D--Fact Sheet Appendix E--News amd PrintInformation Appendix F--Presentations Appendix G--Visuals Appendix H--MiscellaneousInformation 98 References 4 Preface Many diverse sources were used incomposing this nanual; books, manuals, handbooks, periodicals, newspapers, colleagues, etc. supplied useful andvaluable data toward the manualls completion. To the administrative staffs ofthe vocational schools Invol ed In this project, gratitudeis expressed for the cooperation and support given throughthe duration of the project. Those administrators are: Gateway--Don Tomlinson and Nona Floyd Ozarka--Doug Rush, Bill Guthrie, and Libby Cone White River--Bob Stiger, Pam Cicirello, and Garland Hankins Others from the three vocationalschools who gave Insight and assistance are: White River--Sandra Lacy, GeorgiaShocklee, Jayne Black, Linda Duncan, Donna Martin, and Mary Robertson Ozarka--Jean Hall, Mary Ellen Hawkins,Sidney Roten, Patricia Miller, Annette Morgan, and Wyth Duke GatewayJim Simpson, Randy Rowlett, and Nora Brooks Also, acknowledgement of thanks Isgiven to other staff members who helped In numerouJ ways. Linda L. Bennett Spring, 1991 lii I NTRODUCT I ON 6 INTRODUCTION Attracting students is a major concern forvocational programs. Basically, students are the life blood of vocational programs; high enrollments are essential. "It is important tc have highenrollments for several reasons...vocational programs do not have abuilt-in clientele....To justify the cost of offering vocational programs, there must be sufficientenrollments... (and) funding has emerged over the pastdecade as the most important" (reason for the high enrollments). (MI ) In essence, recruiting students is acrucial considerationfor vocational schools. A study for the Illinois Department ofEducation illustrates "three levels of action were necessaryto provide an effective program of studentrecruitment. These were: 1. Awareness/Interest--To alert the potential student to the many vocational programs available. 2. Des;-e/Decision--To encourage the potential student to make a decision to enter vocational education. 3. Action/Enrollment--To assist the student to succeed in a chosen vocational institution and program.0 (Source: j,_aennfjsat_i_s_A3_s2f_jjqgc_vitme.n_taasratcl. ) The main premise for the contentsof this book centers around the student: to alert, to encourage, and to assist the student. However, the student cannot be reached byonly one segment of thevocational staff. Therefore, a team effort has to be conceived "to gain consensus onvision, goals, methods of implementation; to provide aharmonious work environment; to increaseconsistency in individual decisions; and to increase feeling ofpersonal security." (Source: Marketina Vocational Education) Each individual staff member has to be a part of thewhole recruitment team; each staff member has to be a playerin the recruitment game. Teamwork is certainly the name of the gamein recruitment. 2 7 ADVANCED PLANNING s To begin an effective recruitment plan, an analysis o the school situation Is essential. Determination must be made regarding the following questions: Who are we? Where do we want to go? How do we want to get there? Each question merits careful attention. WHO ARE WE? 1. The beliefs and values of the school form the "personality" base for the school. To determine the internal depiction of the school and/or staff's image of the school, exercisesrequiring the staff members to express words to describe the school (ex. static, active, compassionate/ "so-so", etc.) as it exists or as it could exist can be incorporated to discern staff perceptions. 2. The traditions. operations. and visions of the school need reviewing. The background of the school necessitates inquiry--its history, accomplishments of students, staff, school, goals, etc. In addition, general biographical information (personnel roster) about the school and school staff discloses the background of the institution and its personnel (see appendix D, page 76). 3. To delineate the tervice focus of the school, a realistic view of the students served is imperative. Geographic (location of communi- ties, states, regions, neighborhoods), demographic (age, sex, family size, income, race, etc.), psychographic (life styles, personality types, etc.), and behavioristic (knowledge, attitudes, etc.) are essential considerations to learn about the peoples to be reached (see appendix A, pages 41-42). 4. A slogan should be a form of communication to the public stating the purpose (mission), value, or beliefs of the school--a slogan can give specific identity to the school. 4 5. The distinguishing characteristics of the personnel (staff, past students, etc.) of the school should be appraised. Profess- ionalism should be the most important quality for the instructors, administration, and all other staff members. "In the neighborhoods, shopping malls, entertainment centers, and barber shops of any community, the teacher, custodian, secretary, and students are often going to enjoy more credibility than any administrator or board member." (Vocational Education Journal, Nov./Dec., k.313, page 37). WHERE DO WE WANT TO GO? A plan must be conceived and developed--a plan to offer vision for the future. This written proposal (see appendix A, pages 43-44) should be readable and easily understood with emphasis on the objectives to reach a particular audience; strategies and occasions for distributing information about the a calendar (see appendix A, pages 48 and 49) foc disseminating information; and ways to evaluate or appraise results from instruments used (see appendix A, page 44). The targeted population should be defined (see appendix A, pages 41-42). Most importantly, a specific direction must be pursued concerning what is