Technology Forum

Overview	Host a structured forum to introduce people who influence prospective students to your technology program and related careers.
Audience	Guidance and career counselors, teachers, retraining center staff, business leaders, union leaders, and parents
Time	3-5 hours
Sample Agenda	Registration Welcome Shattering Stereotypes Activity Math and Science: Keys to Cool Careers Activity Station Visits Lunch Career Connections Activity Speaker Question-and-Answer Session Closing
Preparation	Planning Publicity

Sample Agenda

Certain people often act as gatekeepers between prospective students and your program — guidance counselors, teachers, retraining center staff, business leaders, union leaders, and parents. By educating these gatekeepers about the workforce needs in technology fields and the value of your program, you can ensure that prospective students will learn about your program and receive your key messages. Following is a sample agenda that highlights where you can integrate Pathways resources into a Technology Forum.

Registration (30-45 minutes)

Welcome (10-15 minutes)

• Overview Video
  This 1:15-minute video illustrates how community colleges prepare students for exciting and rewarding technology careers. Play the piece as is or mix it on a reel with your program's video segments. Whatever you decide, you may wish to use the loop command, under the movie menu item in QuickTime, for continuous play.
  
  
• Keynote Speaker
  Invite a compelling current student or a faculty member to introduce your technology program and outline the day's agenda.

Shattering Stereotypes Activity (15-20 minutes)

Participants compare preconceived ideas about technology students with profiles of actual students to develop a broad understanding of who can succeed in technology programs.

Math and Science: Keys to Cool Careers Activity (15-20 minutes)

Participants meet three technology students who have varying experience in math and science, yet who are all succeeding in technology programs.

Station Visits (2 hours)

Set up drop-in stations for participants to visit.

• Position students, faculty, program graduates, or administrators in labs or classrooms to talk about your technology program.
  
  
• Arrange for representatives from local businesses to discuss technology careers and the job market.
  
  
• Showcase a piece of cutting-edge equipment unique to your program.
  
  
• Use the Pathways Video Vignettes (2-3 minutes each) to introduce different topic areas at appropriate stations:
  • Community Colleges: Academic Rigor and Skills
    Students develop solid educational foundations at Advanced Technological Education programs.
    
    
  • Distance Learning
    Community colleges offer flexible online courses.
    
    
  • Juggling Home, Work, and School
    Students find ways to juggle school, work, and home as they move toward careers in technology.
    
    
  • Language and Support Systems
    Community colleges offer various academic support systems, in areas from English proficiency to math skills.
    
    
  • Math and Science: Keys to Cool Careers
    Technology courses, with math and science at the foundation, lead students to rewarding technology careers.
    
    
• Show any of the five Technology Field Videos to illustrate what's involved in being a student in Biotechnology, Information Technology, Marine Science, Precision Agriculture, and Process Technology.
  
  
• Show segments from the Success Stories Video, which profiles six community college graduates and their career paths in engineering technology, modern manufacturing, and information and communication technology.

Lunch (45 minutes)

Invite representatives from local businesses, professional organizations, and unions to sponsor tables. Representatives can discuss the importance of technology within the community and at their organizations, highlight career opportunities, and hand out materials and giveaway items.

Career Connections Activity (15-20 minutes)

Play a word-matching game to discover the variety of technology careers available to program graduates.

Program Graduate Speaker (15 minutes)

Ask a graduate from your program to speak about his or her career and how your program provided the preparation needed to succeed.

Question-and-Answer Session (10 minutes)

Closing (5 minutes)

Thank participants for coming, ask them to complete a program evaluation, and conclude the forum with closing remarks about your program. Distribute copies of the College Contact Card or Request for Information Card to give participants vehicles for obtaining further information.

Planning

Good planning ensures a successful event and allows you to troubleshoot any last-minute problems. Following is a checklist of activities to consider as you prepare for an event. (For more planning tips and strategies, see Recruitment Basics.)

Planning Checklist

Getting Started

• Assess how the event fits into the overall recruitment strategy
• Organize a planning committee
• Establish goals for the event (include measurable outcomes)
• Decide if the event will highlight one technology program, several complementary programs, or be part of a collegewide event
• Create an agenda
• Prepare a budget, including costs for publicity, food, photocopies, postage, etc.

Audience

• Select target audience
• Estimate attendance numbers
• Determine event messages
• Identify any language issues and how to address them

Timing

• Decide if this a one-time event or will be repeated regularly
• Determine the type of day (weekday or weekend) and time of day (morning, afternoon, or evening) most convenient for the target audience
• Set the event date
• Choose start and end times
• Rule out conflicts with other scheduled events

Venue

• Choose a location and room(s) based on estimated attendance
• Make sure location is convenient for target audience and handicap-accessible
• Determine if public transportation is available or if transportation will need to be provided
• Consider parking facilities (proximity to event location, availability, special permits, etc.)
• Establish the number of stations needed to accommodate estimated audience size (consider how to control overcrowding)
• Reserve the space
• Alert security or police to event logistics

Partners

• Identify potential program partners (faculty, current students, program administrators, industry associations, local businesses, professional organizations, unions, media, public television stations, governmental agencies, school districts, science or math teachers' association, etc.)
• Determine partner roles (keynote speaker, event staff, access to attendees, publicity, sponsors, etc.)
• Ask partners to participate
• Develop a timeline
• Look for opportunities to tie in to existing events and initiatives
• Set up a communication structure (meetings, phone calls, e-mails, etc.)
• Discuss how to evaluate the success of the project and partnership

Staff

• Recruit event staff (faculty, current students, program graduates, business representatives, others)
• Consider the optimal number of staff necessary to run each element of the event
• Select date and time for staff training, if necessary
• Prepare a master event schedule; assign responsibilities and breaks
• Create name badges for staff

Welcome Table

• Determine location and duration of welcome table (locate areas with enough room to avoid a bottleneck)
• Create method to collect participants' contact information (sign-in sheet, on-site computer registration, etc.)
• Create welcome packet (program agenda, campus map, college and program brochures, fact sheets about available careers and college services, flyer about Web site, etc.)
• Customize and make copies of the College Contact Card or Request for Information Card to give participants vehicles for obtaining further information
• Collect welcome table supplies (name tags, pens, tablecloth, computer, telephone, etc.)
• Provide map or tour guides for participants

Signs and Equipment

• Identify and create necessary signs (parking, welcome table, station titles, directional signs, etc.)
• Arrange for audiovisual equipment (computers, VCRs, monitors, LCD projectors, etc.)
• Identify cutting-edge technology to highlight (consider if technician is needed to operate or explain)

Food

• Determine whether food will be served at event
• Order food for event participants
• Order food for event staff

Evaluation

• Create an Evaluation Form or other feedback mechanism for participants and make copies
• Determine where and how to collect evaluation feedback

Post-Event Follow-Up

• Respond to Request for Information Cards
• Review evaluations
• Implement changes based on evaluation results

Publicity

Even though you invite participants directly to a forum, publicity is key to making sure your invitations reach your target audience. Below you'll find a publicity checklist to use as you design your Technology Forum publicity campaign. As you begin developing your plan, remember the old advertising adage: It takes three "touches" to get a person to act!

Technology Forum Publicity Checklist

• Establish a channel for a pre-registration system and pre-event questions (phone number, e-mail, online registration)
• Create an Invitation announcing the forum
• Identify organizations to which your target audience belongs or from which it receives services
• Contact these organizations and ask about placing announcements in their newsletters (print or e-mail), listservs, or other communication vehicles (ask if they will share their mailing lists)
• Contact program or college partners about distributing an invitation or flyer (members of business advisory board and other related technology businesses, professional organizations, unions, schools, government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, etc.)
• Develop a mailing list of potential attendees (sources include mailing-list brokers, partners, internal mail list, etc.)
• Schedule mailing