Director of Academic and Workforce Integration

The Director of Academic and Workforce Integration provides strategic leadership for the College’s efforts to connect academic learning with meaningful workforce and experiential learning opportunities. Funded initially through the College’s Title III grant, the Director will serve as a strategic liaison between the College and regional employers, building partnerships that expand opportunities for students to participate in internships, co-ops, project-based learning, and other meaningful work-integrated learning experiences.

The Director will serve as a bridge between faculty, academic departments, students, employers, and the regional business and nonprofit community. The position will cultivate and manage a portfolio of employer and community partners, develop sustainable partnership frameworks, support the creation and development of Advisory Councils, and work with faculty and academic leaders to identify opportunities for connecting experiential learning with curricular pathways.

The Director will also oversee Career Services which includes two direct reports—an existing Career Services Coordinator and a new grant-funded position for a Co-op and Internship Coordinator. The Career Services office under the guidance of the Director will work collaboratively with Enrollment Management and Student Engagement Division, department chairs, including the faculty in the Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MET) program to strengthen the College’s employer relationships, career preparation, and workforce connections.

The Director will monitor regional workforce trends and economic developments to identify emerging industries, occupations, and employer needs that may create opportunities for LaGrange College students and graduates.

The Director does not exercise curricular authority. Any credit-bearing experiential learning opportunity, transcripted designation, course modification, academic program change, or new program requirement will be developed and approved through the College’s established academic governance processes.

• Serve as the College’s strategic liaison with regional employers, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and community partners.
• Develop and maintain a diverse portfolio of employer and community partnerships that provide meaningful opportunities for students.
• Cultivate relationships with organizations willing to host students in internships, co-ops, project-based placements, and other work-integrated learning experiences.
• Develop sustainable partnership frameworks that establish clear expectations, responsibilities, communication processes, and outcomes for the College and participating organizations.
• Represent the College at appropriate business, civic, professional, and community events to strengthen institutional visibility and relationships.
• Develop strategies to increase awareness of LaGrange College among regional employers and demonstrate the value of engaging with the College and its students.
• Maintain regular communication with employer partners and evaluate the effectiveness of partnerships
• Provide strategic leadership for the development and expansion of institutional internship, co-op, and other work-integrated learning opportunities.
• Establish processes for identifying, developing, documenting, and maintaining employer-sponsored experiential learning opportunities.
• Work with employers to define meaningful student responsibilities, learning opportunities, supervision expectations, and desired outcomes.
• Support the development of scalable and sustainable models for internships, co-ops, and project-based placements across the College.
• Identify barriers that may…