Personnel Responsible for Coordination of Follow-Up Activities
The responsibility for collection of completer employment data and the follow-up of employment data is in the hands of the experiential learning coordinator. However, the expertise and career connection each instructor has with the business community is vital in both placement and cooperative education. This individual also coordinates the cooperative education, internships, clinicals, and works to help instructors with employment application skills.
Activities to Achieve the Objectives
Collection of Information from Completers and Employers of Completers: Initial student information is entered into the West Virginia State Board of Education website (WVEIS) by the secretary of postsecondary programs after the student has attended the first day of class. At the end of the school year, (last week of May/first week of June), completer status is entered in WVEIS by the assistant principal and is verified by the experiential learning coordinator.
Student placement data is entered in the WVEIS system by June 1 and represents student data from the previous school year. This placement data is separated into categories that include:
- Placement in field of study
- Placement out of field of study
- Military
- Continuing education in field of study
- Continuing education out of field of study
- Seeking employment
Program Effectiveness/Modes Of Delivery and Relevance to Job Requirements
The State Department of Education prints the summary of this information in a report form and returns it to James Rumsey Technical Institute by July 1 in a document called the “Data Profile”. The profile also includes class averages from the ACT WorkKeys test which is given to all students. The combination of placement and WorkKeys scores are used to evaluate program success.
Goals and Objectives – are established by the state in the following areas and are as follows:
- Overall Positive Placement – (minimum 92.5 percent)
- In-field Placement – (minimum 60 percent)
- Continued Education In-Field – (minimum 60 percent)
- ACT WorkKeys, Reading for Information – (minimum 72 percent)
- ACT WorkKeys, Applied Mathematics – (minimum 69 percent)
- ACT WorkKeys, Locating Information – (minimum 66 percent)
The school receives an overall rating from the average of these scores. Individual programs that do not comply with the minimum scores (listed above) must be followed up by a written improvement plan which is prepared by the teacher and the director/principal. Once completed, the plan is submitted to the West Virginia Department of Education through the WVEIS system.
On the local level, the teachers whose programs are not meeting standards work with administration to resolve the deficiency. Programs are monitored through follow-up evaluations, and changes are made. In addition, if the challenge is in placement, help may be solicited from craft committee members who offer solutions to those challenges.
The school is provided feedback by several methods.
- The Data Profile is an essential document as it offers accurate, precise, and yearly feedback to address successes and challenges. This information is shared with employers and business partners during the Craft Advisory Committee meetings.
- Program curriculum, state certifications, and national certifications are also discussed and how they affect placement.
- Craft committees are surveyed as to the needs as well as the satisfaction of the quality of JRTI graduates that have been employed with their companies.
- A student satisfaction survey is given to each student (via the school’s website) for additional feedback on the school’s successes as well as our weaknesses.
The experiential learning coordinator travels to work sites to approve them for co-op, internships, and to make contact with potential employers. Once a contact is made, employers are invited to the school for a tour, or the experiential learning coordinator will visit the potential employer to discuss the needs of the employer as well as the needs of the student learner.
JRTI has program craft advisory committees with over 170 employers and business owners who attend two meetings per year. The first meeting takes place in early fall at the school. It includes a dinner prepared by the school. Committees then learn about changes, accomplishments, challenges, and, in general, what goes on in the school. Meetings reconvene in the content area classroom or shop where a meeting is held. Items covered must include, but are not limited to:
- Admission requirements
- Program content and its relevance to today’s market
- Program objectives and quality of outcomes
- State and national certification and competency testing
- Instructional material and lab supplies
- Equipment – what we have, what we need, and the safety compliance of the equipment
- Methods of program delivery and evaluation
- Skill level and proficiency of students including program completion, program certifications, and ACT WorkKeys scores
- Trends and where we need to to provide the employee for success in the field
- Placement
Placement is a joint effort that includes the instructor, the experiential learning coordinator, and employers from the tri-state area. The process not only seeks employment, but rather seeks specific employment to the students’ needs or career plans. Through employer contacts, an employer calling the school requesting a student to fill a position, job fairs, open houses, and our craft advisory committee network, JRTI strives to provide both placement and follow-up to all current and former students.
Timelines for Review, Evaluation, and Revision of the Plan
Each year (timeline: September – November) the experiential learning coordinator presents follow-up information from The Data Profile to both the administrative staff (Administrative Council) and to the instructional staff (Faculty Senate).