North Central Texas College’s (NCTC), Aspire to be Hired Program, focuses on students’ employability skill development through evidence-based training modules embedded into the course curriculum and structured support opportunities. The program promotes students’ marketability and preparedness by 1) building their awareness of the importance and impact of employability skills, 2) improving their ability to articulate these skill sets, and 3) offering opportunities to apply professional skills and knowledge. The overarching goal of NCTC’s Aspire to be Hired is to remove barriers and reduce the skills gap to improve students’ long-term employability.
Program Outcomes
PROGRAM OUTCOME 1
Awareness of Employability Skills
Program participants will exhibit an increased awareness of employability skills.
PROGRAM OUTCOME 2
Articulation of Employability Skills
Program participants will demonstrate the ability to describe and discuss the identified employability skill related to a work environment.
PROGRAM OUTCOME 3
Application of Employability Skills
Program participants will be provided opportunities to apply the identified employability skill/knowledge.
Student Learning Outcomes
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOME 1
Awareness of Employability Skills
Students will identify employability skills and their importance to industry and self.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOME 2
Articulation of Employability Skills
Students will describe and discuss the identified employability skill related to a work environment.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOME 3
Application of Employability Skills
Students will apply the identified employability skill/knowledge.
Aspire to be Hired responds to substantial research and data illustrating the current and growing “skills gap.” At the time of its development, the college was also in the process of finalizing the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. NCTC 2020-2025 Strategic Plan’s overall theme focuses on improving students’ engagement and achievement through curricular and co-curricular methods leading to equitable opportunities for success and positive and impactful change. Aspire to be Hired helps to fulfill an important part of the college’s mission and values through the awareness, articulation and application of employability skills.
In Fall of 2019, a Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment and Gap Analysis was conducted throughout the NCTC service area to include Cooke, Denton, Montague, and Young Counties through a partnership with Hanover Research. The identified skills gap aligned with national data. Eight Employability Skills were identified to be instructed and trained through coursework and student support services: Ethical Decision-Making, Teamwork/Collaboration, Problem Solving, Professional Communication, Critical Thinking, Leadership, Interpersonal Skills/Professionalism, and Emotional Intelligence. The survey provided an analysis of relevant student and labor market data with the primary goal to help NCTC establish the community’s needs and understand where its programs are meeting labor market needs as well as what gaps exist. A secondary goal of this report was to provide an initial analysis of the college’s retention data and post-graduation performance among students who have been flagged as at-risk due to academic or socioeconomic factors.
Major recommendations from the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (based on an assessment of workforce demand indicators) included:
• Focus on an additional 18 high-priority occupations and one new occupational cluster for wholesale and retail trade.
• Offer a core set of programs at all locations targeting universally sought-after professions, but tailor other offerings to county-specific needs. During the open house sessions, each topic was presented and discussed with feedback from all participants. When discussing soft skills, a faculty member shared the following observation:
“EMPLOYERS ARE MOST CONCERNED
about the lack of employability or soft skills in today’s job seeker. All students are attending college for the purpose of getting a job, whether they are academic transfer or technical majors. Part of the 60x30TX initiative (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Strategic Plan) is that graduates will have identifiable marketable skills regardless of major. A program focused on improving student employability skills that will focus on the critical thinking and soft skills needed to get a job, regardless of major, possibly incorporating an outcome into each academic and technical program along those lines.”
IDENTIFY A CRITICAL ISSUE OR CHALLENGE THAT THIS PROGRAM, MODEL, POLICY OR SERVICE WAS DESIGNED TO ADDRESS.
The following employability skills were chosen as the bedrock for the program in response to the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment for the Local Trends and Gaps Analysis and national data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and the Perkins Collaborative Resource Network. The program consistently defines these skills in student learning outcomes, rubrics, course outline guides for the classroom, and structured support services for workshops, individual coaching, and virtual learning opportunities. Career and Technical divisions will identify which of these employability skills they will implement into their specific programs. Flexibility in employability skill implementation allows faculty to provide more focused training in skills that meet their industry’s needs.
Local and national research identifies gaps in graduates’ awareness of their desired behavioral skills and ability to articulate and demonstrate these skills in professional settings. The program and student learning outcomes of Aspire to be Hired address this critical concern in student success. The student learning outcomes were developed for intentional instruction in Career and Technical Education coursework. Program outcomes set the objectives for student services support through Career Services job coaching.
DESCRIBE THE PROCESS, TIMELINE, PARTICIPANTS, AND RESOURCES REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM MODEL, POLICY OR SERVICE.
Aspire to be Hired is a five-year initiative for students in Career and Technical programs.
Based on a review of the research and stakeholder feedback, the college determined that the Aspire to be Hired program should begin within the Career and Technical programs. Implementation began in one division, led by an instructional dean, and then scaled to additional Career and Technical programs, supervised by other instructional deans. The program was adapted to include any new instructional programs added to the Career and Technical course offerings, and programs with higher enrollment were targeted to begin first.
Faculty and staff members were involved in researching best practices in academic and industry literature to determine the specific methods and activities to be used in this project. Additionally, Student Services’ representatives gathered research and resources on identifying employability skills and utilizing structured support services to enhance the student learning experience. Best practices learned from this research were incorporated into the program development.
Instructional deans and program chairs identified lead faculty members in each program, who then served as Faculty Task Force members, providing training and support to faculty and relaying feedback for ongoing continuous improvement. Instructional deans and division chairs chose the employability skills they deemed the highest priority for the related employment industries.
The program was designed to scale up, gradually adding more programming each semester. Targeted courses were identified through curriculum mapping. These courses 1) are required for most, if not all, students in a particular program, 2) begin early in a
degree plan, and 3) align with employability readiness, i.e., EPA Cert Prep, Technical Customer Service, Capstone.
Since the program’s first year, 2,043 Career and Technical students received intentional instruction in professional employability skills and career and success coaching. Specifically, faculty have “implementation points” at which the employability skills will be introduced, reinforced, and mastered in their Career and Technical programs. These “implementation points” ensure that the program content is provided a minimum of three times during a student’s Career and Technical program. Certificate programs and skills awards will seek to implement one Aspire to be Hired lesson per semester.
The employability skill instruction is provided to students at least three times within their programs. The skill is taught to students, not just used in delivering content. Introducing, reinforcing, and mastering this content increases awareness and provides articulation and practical application opportunities, and structured rubrics are used to assess students’ mastery of the employability skill’s instructional content.
• Implementation Point I: Introduction is provided early in a program or a course that is part of an Occupational or Workforce Skills Award to build employability skill awareness. The introduction includes awareness, articulation, and/or application of skill.
• Implementation Point II: Reinforcement is ideally implemented in the middle of the program and builds on students’ abilities to articulate, describe, and discuss the importance of employability skills to employers. Awareness and application are also a part of that reinforcement.
• Implementation Point III: Mastery/Application is demonstrated at the end of a pathway or program, ensuring the employability skill’s application and mastery.
In addition to course content, students receive structured support services from the Completion and Career Services Center, and Career coaches connect with faculty to provide multifaceted services. First, Career and Technical Education students in targeted courses are assigned to career coaches and receive consistent outreach and resources starting in their first semesters. Faculty members also require students to attend career coaching sessions where Career
Coaches provide in-person and virtual professionalism training, including career development and career readiness opportunities. Additionally, faculty and students partner with student success career coaches to provide additional coaching and training on professional employability skills.
Career and Technical Education programs and enrollment data are listed in the table below.
SPECIFY THE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND OUTCOMES THAT HAVE DEMONSTRATED THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROGRAM, MODEL, POLICY OR SERVICE FROM AN EQUITY LENS (IF APPLICABLE) AND SUCCESS IN SCALABILITY.
Aspire to be Hired’s program outcomes are to increase student participants’ awareness of employability skills and the importance of those skills in their success; instruct and train student participants to articulate, describe, and discuss those employability skills in professional environments; and provide student participants with opportunities to apply employability skills and knowledge. In the program model, lead faculty create content that intentionally instructs the identified professional employability skills. Faculty align
that content with corresponding assignments and evaluate students’ work with employability-specific rubrics. Assessment methods include pre- and post-surveys, seminar evaluations, First Destination Surveys, and support services internal skills and readiness assessments. Additional assessments include mock interviews and resume reviews with career coaches, regular and collaborative reviews of employer responses to internships, internal student enrollment data and rosters, and activity and engagement reports.
Aspire to be Hired’s program and student learning outcomes address skills gap awareness and articulation and students’ application of these employability skills.
PROGRAM OUTCOMES: BENCHMARK GOALS ARE IDENTIFIED BELOW
2021-2022- 56% OF CTE Programs have an embedded assignment throughout program curriculum. (introduction, reinforcement, and application)
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
•Business Management
•Accounting
•Criminal Justice
HUMAN SERVICES
•Cosmetology
•Esthetics
•Barbering
100% of CTE Programs will implement a assignment
PO 1
Awareness of Employability Skills: Participants will exhibit an increased awareness of employability skills.
INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY
•HVAC
•Welding
•Machining
•Industrial Mechanics
•Electrical Technology
•Engineering Technology
CITE
•Database Management
•Game Development
•Networking
2021-2022- 25 CAREER DEVELOPMENTS EVENTS FOR STUDENTS
Includes a variety of job fairs, career development workshops, leadership training, and professional development opportunities.
PO 2
Articulation of Employability Skills: Participants will demonstrate the ability to describe and discuss the identified employability skill related to a work environment.
PO 3
Application of Employability Skills: Participants will be provided opportunities to apply the identified employability skill/knowledge.
Career Development Platform Data
Seminar Evaluation of Career Development Workshops (Lykert Scale)
Indirect
Career Events Indirect
Compare Course & Degree Plan Data for participating CTE programs Direct
Portfolio Platform Data Direct
Mock Interview Structured Review Indirect
2021-2022– 35% (710 OUT OF 2043)
Platforms include Skills to Succeed, Handshake, Pure Post, Strengths Quest, and Skills Build
2021-2022- 100% OF STUDENTS SAID THEY WERE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE PRESENTATION TOPICS
(74% were significantly more knowledgeable, 22% were largely more knowledgeable, and 5% were slightly more knowledgeable)
2021-2022- 8 CAREER EVENTS OFFERED
Includes a variety of job fairs, career development workshops, leadership training, and professional development opportunities.
2021-2022- 56% OF CTE PROGRAMS HAVE EMBEDDED QEP CONTENT INTO PROGRAM CURRICULUM (17 out of 30).
2021-2022- 4.85% (99 completed portfolios out of 2043 students)
2021-2022- 100% OF STUDENTS IN THESE EVENTS RECEIVED A STRUCTURED REVIEW
Includes a variety of job fairs, career development workshops, leadership training, and professional development opportunities.
10 Career Development activities will be provided each 16-week semester for students
40% of students will utilize at least one Career Development platform
50% of students will identify as more knowledgeable on workshop topics.
2 Career events will be offered each 16-week semester
85% of CTE programs will offer sections with embedded QEP content.
25% of CTE students will produce a professional portfolio.
100% of Students participating in Mock Interviews will receive a structured review
Since program implementation, 58% of CTE Programs have an embedded professional skill assignment throughout the program curriculum, directly impacting over 2,000 students. Employability skills and their corresponding assignments are introduced, reinforced, and assessed with the targeted professional skills. Assignment rubrics indicate the importance of professional skills and the connection between marketable skills and industry standards from course lessons/activities. In the first year, 84% of students demonstrated an understanding and articulation of
SLO 1
Students in courses will understand employability skills and their importance to industry and self.
SLO 2
Students in courses will describe and discuss the identified employability skill related to a work environment.
SLO 3
Students in courses will apply the identified employability skill/knowledge.
the employability skill (with an average rubric score of 2.9 out of 4) and its connection and relation to industry standards.
Aspire to be Hired Student Learning Outcomes focus on connecting classroom learning with industry needs by building awareness, articulation, and application of the identified employability skills required to gain and maintain quality employment. Student Learning Outcomes and Benchmark Goals are identified below.
2021-2022- 84% of students demonstrated an understanding and articulation of the employability skill (with an average rubric score of 2.9 out of 4)
56% of CTE programs have embedded content into program curriculum (17 out of 30).
2021-2022- 100% of students said they were satisfied with the presentation (87% were extremely satisfied, 13% were largely satisfied)
70% of students will be able to identify the connection between marketable skills and industry standards.
Aspire to be Hired employability skill lessons and assignments embedded into 100% of CTE program curriculum.
90% of students enrolled in a targeted course will indicate satisfaction with seminar
Rubric
2021-2022- 84% of students indicated importance of professional skill from course lesson/activity- average rubric score of 2.9
80% of Students will receive 2 or better in each category. Career Coaching Sessions Direct 2021-2022- 17% (339 out of 2043 CTE students received career/success coaching sessions)
35% of CTE students in targeted courses will receive a coaching session
100% of CTE programs will provide an Aspire to be Hired employability skill lesson/assignment that assesses the application of skill in at least one course. Practice Direct
2021-2022- 56% of CTE programs have embedded content into program curriculum (17 out of 30 programs, 107 courses) 47% of courses assess the application of a skill (51 Application assignments).
2021-2022- 21% (438 CTE students out of 2043 received career coaching sessions-mock interviews, resume reviews or other career development activities)
Program assessment occurs at the student, course, and programmatic levels. Formative and summative data is collected each long semester, and annually. Assessment methods include course rubric scores used consistently across programs and divisions; Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved pre and post surveys; seminar evaluations; the First Destination Surveys, and support services internal skills and readiness assessments. Additional assessment includes mock interview structured review and resume reviews by career coaches, regular and collaborative review of employer responses to internships, internal student enrollment data and rosters, and activity and engagement reports. Student usage data is collected from virtual platforms, including Candid Career (skills development), Purepost (portfolio development), Purepost Knowledge Center (professional development), and SkillsBuild (skills development). All these virtual platforms are available on the college website and are free to students.
85% of CTE students in targeted programs will apply employability skills through participation in mock interviews, resume reviews or other career development activities.
ELABORATE ON LESSONS LEARNED FOR COLLEGES CONSIDERING A REPLICATION OF THIS INITIATIVE.
Over the past two years, NCTC has researched and analyzed data, defined goals and objectives, and developed activities to enhance the employability skills of our students. All program aspects were analyzed and evaluated for efficiency and clarity throughout the implementation process.
Important lessons were learned that led to assessment changes. Specifically, identifying clear and concise programmatic and student-related learning outcomes was one of the main lessons learned during this project. Specifically, the college recognized quickly that, instead of focusing on how many students scored a specific grade on an assessment, it was more important to focus on each Student Learning Outcome and how students demonstrated mastery of that outcome both during and after their courses ended. To achieve that goal, the college had to be much more intentional that each outcome was measurable and observable. This required the program committee to focus on identifying benchmarks and outcomes to assess the program’s efficiency so that the Aspire to be Hired program’s outcomes—awareness, articulation, and
application—were grounded in practical, tangible activities that demonstrated that learning took place.
Another lesson learned during the program’s implementation and its first year was to develop meaningful student survey questions that provided more meaningful data and feedback. The college developed student surveys that included indirect and direct measures:
• What did students learn in the class?
• What did students learn from career coaching?
• How are students applying this in future coursework and beyond?
Adding open-ended qualitative questions enhanced the survey responses and allowed for more detailed responses that guided future programming and implementation for continuous improvement. By enhancing the students’ professional development experience, focusing on ethical decision-making, teamwork/collaboration, professional spoken and written communication, problem-solving, and offering structured support, NCTC strives to improve its retention and completion rates.
SAID THEY GAINED FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT WITHIN ONE YEAR OF GRADUATION/COMPLETION
GAINED PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT
FIRST DESTINATION SURVEY
Utilized to determine program effectiveness- how engaged and successful students were regarding the Aspire to be Hired content and course assignments, and whether the content and assignments helped prepare them for employment.
SAID EMPLOYMENT WAS RELATED TO DEGREE/PROGRAM THEY COMPLETED AT NCTC
SAID THE SALARY AMOUNT IS WHAT I EXPECTED
