Director of Apprenticeship Degree Pathways

Director of Apprenticeship Degree Pathways

Reporting to the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Director of Apprenticeship Degree Pathways will oversee the development of apprenticeship degrees and collaborate with campus stakeholders to ensure that all apprenticeship initiatives are aligned. The Director will be responsible for coordinating, developing, and implementing outreach, marketing, and recruitment activities to promote and expand apprenticeship degree pathways. In addition, the Director will ensure pathways comply with grant, department, and college requirements.

The Director will serve as the Springfield Technical Community College project lead for the development, launch, and management of apprenticeship degree pathways, with a particular focus on human services, healthcare, and STEM programs. The Director will work in partnership with the Smith Family Foundation, Accelerate the Future, national practitioner experts, students, peer grantees, faculty, senior-level administrators, accreditors, and employers to initiate apprenticeship degree pathways.

The Director will coordinate efforts to educate faculty, staff, students, and employers on apprenticeship degree pathways as a distinct form of on-the-job training. The Director will also coordinate efforts with employers and state/local agencies to register apprenticeship degree pathways.

The Director will keep apprised of regional workforce/economic development trends and initiatives, particularly as related to work-based learning, and, under the direction of Academic Affairs leadership, attend related meetings and conferences as needed. The Director will lead and manage the Apprenticeship Degree Innovation Fund grant program. The Director will act as a vital liaison between program faculty and various internal and external stakeholders, including employers, mentors, program-specific accreditors, faculty, and community-based organizations (CBOs) as needed.

In collaboration with other relevant offices and personnel (e.g., Director of Career Services, Practicum/Clinical Coordinators), the Director will conduct site visits and outreach to business and industry to assist in developing new or expanding existing apprenticeship degree pathways. The Director will facilitate the development of competency/course outcome crosswalks and report and monitor assessment data in collaboration with relevant faculty and administrators.

The Director will collaborate closely with Enrollment Management and Advising teams to actively recruit, enroll, and onboard new students into pathway programs.

The Director will aid apprenticeship site mentors in crafting and implementing assessments. The Director will act as a representative of STCC and attend external meetings as necessary. The Director will develop comprehensive metrics, including leading and lagging indicators, to track and communicate the progress and growth of the programs. The Director will explore opportunities to align apprenticeship degrees with other curricular innovations at STCC (e.g., competency-based education) and forms of work-based learning.

The Director will integrate industry-recognized credentials with apprenticeship degrees wherever feasible, ensuring the degrees hold substantial economic value and lead to living wages.

The Director will prepare and conduct group and one-on-one presentations to outreach and engage students in apprenticeship degree pathways. The Director will coordinate referrals and support programs available to program participants. The Director will host and facilitate informational sessions and roundtable events with local industry groups and associations. The Director will work in close partnership with the Smith Family Foundation, Accelerate the Future, and peer grantees to collect and share data, artifacts, and best practices.

The Director will collect data and prepare reports on pathway development, recruitment, and progress to meet goals.

The Director will collaborate with STCC's Marketing department in developing recruitment, promotional, marketing materials, and news releases for the apprenticeship degree pathway program. The Director will contribute to the organization, planning and execution of events supporting apprenticeship awareness, including events for National Apprenticeship Week. The Director will assist with the development of account budgets and expenditures. The Director will track and monitor expenditures, identify problems, and advise as appropriate.

The Director will supervise part time employees. The Director will perform other duties as assigned.

Extensive experience in project management, preferably in higher education and/or workforce development. Bachelor's degree in a related field;
Master's degree strongly preferred. Experience launching and supporting pre-apprenticeship, registered apprenticeship programs, other work-based learning programs, or employer or community-based workforce development programs.