Do your graduates meet potential employers’ expectations? Are your advisory council meetings and communications advancing the workforce program? Industry and academic collaboration is essential for ensuring learning outcomes and curriculum align with employer needs and industry trends. Learn how to form, facilitate and use advisory councils.

Learning Outcomes
1. Explain the active roles of program advisory council members.
2. Identify two best practices for advisory council meetings.
3. Identify two best practices for facilitating program advisory councils.

Problem Statement: Higher Ed and K-12 schools which receive federal Perkins grant funds for approved Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs must have advisory councils composed of industry professionals. Not all faculty and administrators who oversee these programs have experience with starting and facilitating advisory councils. Thus, programs tend to stagnate.

Solution: This presentation offers an overview and best practice suggestions for effectively using CTE program advisory councils. It is based upon a CTE program coordinator’s past five years of experience in founding, facilitating, and using an advisory council to support program quality and effectiveness to benefit both graduates and employers. Emphasis will be place upon effective meetings and communication.