Developing Your Program

Developing Your Program

College Activities

These activities should be completed collaboratively by faculty and administrators.

Activity 1

Discuss how well your business advisory committees meet the requirements of program development and whether they can be improved. Use the Business Advisory Committee Effectiveness document as a template.

Activity 2

Using the Employer Engagement Worksheet, identify which additional businesses should be represented on your employer team. Focus on seeking technical executives, first-line hiring managers, and technicians at those organizations.

Activity 3

Develop an elevator speech (Sample Elevator Pitch) that describes your program and makes a value proposition (an explanation of how employers will benefit from spending time with you and lending their expertise to your program).

Activity 4

Review the Business Industry Leadership Team (BILT) Toolkit to determine where your advisory committee lies on the continuum of engagement. How might your college adopt all or part of the BILT model? Consider hosting an initial meeting with a focus group of employers (those currently on your committee as well as new ones) to discuss whether employers believe the BILT model would benefit your program development efforts.

Anticipated Outcomes

  • Increased employer engagement
  • Increased enrollment
  • Increased graduate placement