Dive Brief:
- The National Coalition of Certification Centers (nc3) joined the national "college signing day" movement with a live stream event, broadcasting signing ceremonies for future students committing to 21 career and technical colleges around the country.
- The event, which was sponsored by 12 companies representing manufacturing, automotive and job training industries, promoted the value of students choosing a fast track for career training on campuses prominently featured from the Midwestern and Southeastern United States.
- Several CTE campuses enjoyed regional and national coverage of the signing day activities, making the most of the "it's not just for athletes" mantra associated with the events.
Dive Insight:
Community colleges have a unique advantage when it comes to marketing to prospective students and building outreach strategies, the strongest of which were outlined in this particular signing day initiative. Companies are eager to co-brand with schools which focus on CTE because they buy into the acumen and skill refining that takes place on the campuses from which they recruit future workers.
This likely plays a major role for students who will increasingly look to community colleges in the near future as an alternative resource for career training or as a transfer pathway to a four-year institution. With the amount of data increasing with details on the value of CTE courses in graduation rates and developing an academic work ethic, parents and counselors may soon have more incentive to promote career and technical schools as a first-rate option for college choice.