Creating a Workforce Engagement Success Plan

Like many community colleges across the country, Howard Community College (HCC) in Columbia, Maryland, promotes its Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development (CEWD) to local businesses to encourage their partnership in its apprenticeship and trade occupations program.

As the post-pandemic workforce emerged, HCC identified a unique opportunity in the market to connect its workforce offerings to employers to address economic pain points in the community while advancing engagement with the college’s offerings.

Shifting to take on a sales performance mindset.

HCC retained Gavin to direct the development of its first strategic communications strategy to attract and forge effective partnerships between CEWD and businesses throughout Howard County, MD, and the surrounding region. Gavin crafted a strategic Apprenticeship Program Business Development Handbook and an entire customer relationship management (CRM) strategy using HubSpot. Gavin’s expertly certified CRM team developed a multi-course custom training program for HCC staff designed around the college’s internal sales processes in engaging employers.
Howard Community College
In developing the customized strategy, Gavin conducted in-depth market research and influencer interviews to craft a 29-page ADA compliant handbook delivering evergreen content templates, materials, strategies, and tips for achieving consistent marketing and success overall, with key instructions covering:
  • Target Markets & Geography
  • Target Audiences
  • Strategic Messaging
  • SEO
  • Business Development Process
  • Marketing Content
  • Best Practices
  • Business Development Tracking
  • Suggested Resources.

The comprehensive strategy and implementation plan focused on creating a culture of efficient and effective marketing leveraging best-in-class automated communications and customer management processes.

Gavin guided HCC to:

  • Improve existing structure and underpinning of HCC’s use of HubSpot.
  • Establish and improve integration with HCC tracking of contacts and efforts to leverage HubSpot resources to advance conversion (sales).
  • Curate HubSpot to be more user friendly for HCC staff.
  • Assess program areas that require increased access to HubSpot.
  • Create consistent terminology.
  • Evaluate and improve upon HubSpot structure created by past HCC employee consultant.
  • Better understand performance reporting retrieval.

See how evolving influence can change your future enrollment.

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