BILT Testimonials and Case Studies

I brought faculty with me to the “ITSS Summit” meeting. What I needed to do was to energize my faculty. I was already convinced that the BILT Model worked. I had already done some of the training. But when my faculty got fired up and then they took it home and fired up others, getting them to buy in on the ITSS process—that was better than me trying to do it myself as the Dean.

The two programs (Commercial Driving License; Construction) are on board now with the ITSS process and the BILT Model. Construction had already done something, but I don’t think fully understood what they were doing. Now they do. The Construction program manager—who attended the “ITSS Summit”—gets it. And now he’s the chair of manufacturing, so he’s over all the programs and he’s influencing all of those other coordinators to better understand the ITSS process. Have we made any changes yet to student level outcomes or anyrhitng like that? No. We’re not there yet, but I think just being able to get the faculty on board on what the BILTs are and what that process is going look like to ultimately improve industry engagement—all of that is so important. We had a KSA vote already for Construction and while we only had seven employers, they liked the process. They liked the conversation. It’s a close-knit community, so everyone had suggestions of who else would be invited to the meeting.

We’re working to make these employer meetings relevant and industry-led. We’re not going to just have the faculty report out. Now, we do have programs that are still there, that are still just reporting out. We’re not 100% there yet. But we’re a lot further along this year than we were last year before we attended the “ITSS Summit.”

The work of the “IT Skill Standards (ITSS) 2020 and Beyond” project has significantly impacted Wharton County Junior College’s IT programs. These skill standards provide an outline for colleges to update and advance these programs by confirming they align with the current industry requirements and trends. By adopting the ITSS process, WCJC curriculum programs can better prepare students for the job market by equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge.

Specifically, our IT program had four AAS tracks and one certificate, but they all suffered from low enrollments. After adopting the ITSS process and using their skill standard materials, our bILT worked with us to completely change the program. We created a new AAS degree and three new certificates that launch in Fall 2024. The employers on our BILT evaluated the goals of the curriculum, established workplace competencies for the program, suggested revisions, identified local businesses/industries that could benefit the program and students, and even assisted in promoting and publicizing the program to community and business leaders. Next we’ll be looking at improving our Data Analytics and Digital Communication programs.

The “ITSS Summit” also helped WCJC administrators understand the student learning outcomes and link them with current job tasks and requirements. WCJC’s administrators can therefore help students gain a competitive edge in the job market. Because employers are looking for candidates with the skills outlined in the ITSS skill standards, I believe students who graduate from programs that follow the ITSS process—and the BILT Model of employer engagement—are more likely to be hired by employers.

The ITSS process really opened up my eyes. We’ve always had advisory board members, but this was a different level for us. Learning the difference between BILT and traditional advisory boards led me to get a BILT started here within my department. We’re also working on another. Learning the KSA voting and discussion process—what’s worked, what hasn’t worked, how to look at the curriculum to find out what should we have in our program versus what should not be in there—has provided us a better way to serve our students. Understanding how our advisory board can better lead us in an everchanging technology world has allowed them to give us excellent advice. Keeping open lines of communication helps us get support when we need something from our employers. It’s been a great experience for us and I’m now going to send two more employees to the next “ITSS Summit” this spring.

“Project Management” is the one we started with. We’ve already seen a really good response. We were able to go to our advisory board members and say to them “Hey, this is a great opportunity to help drive what we’re teaching, drive how our department is moving.” And so, we’re getting good feedback from business and industry, which has driven changes in the curriculum. We’re strengthening and adjusting what we teach, what tools students learn in project management, and what certifications we offer to better boost their ability to find employment.

This is a model I think all of the community colleges would benefit from because it really brings the employers in and lets them see what an associate degree graduate can do for their company. They’re saying “Hey, you’re teaching them all of this so let’s go ahead and get them employed.” I think that is huge for community colleges to get past the stigma of “it’s just an associate degree.” We’re teaching the actual technical knowledge that they need on the job, and I think that’s opening the eyes in our community.

The “ITSS Summit” encouraged us to engage with businesses. The workshop provided us best practices and strategies—creating the elevator pitch, developing the action plan goals—that we found very helpful. And so, we went to visits with employers. Not just a phone call, not just an email; we went and visited them in person. We started by visiting our current advisory board members, then we started the process of trying to reach out to additional businesses to include them.

We’ve already had our first employer orientation meeting following the ITSS process and the BILT Model. Reaction from the businesses was very positive. In fact, this year, when we’ve gone out to visit different industries, the employers are asking, “So when is this meeting?” They want to make sure they’re there. They’re excited because they want to have a say in what we need. “We need technicians, and this is how skilled we want them when they come to us.”

As a result of ITSS, other programs at Snow College are now interested in learning what BILT really is. They’re asking “How do we approach our advisory boards? What do we do?” Instructors who attended ITSS last year are messaging our other faculty, while I’m messaging on the administrator side. I have no doubt the BILT Model will give value to our programs, curriculum, and certificates.

This is the interesting part: I work with the Central Region CTE Consortium and high school CTE Directors said “The BILT members definitely had a more invested interest in this KSA meeting because their input was valued and appreciated. I am excited for my high school teachers to observe this meeting next year. They will definitely see the value.” Our goal is to create stronger partnerships between K12, Snow College and industry. BILT is the missing link! Allowing high school faculty to see the voting process and listen to industry discussions will motivate high school teachers to stay current and relevant in the curriculum they teach. This will create stronger pathways from K12 to Snow College to industry.

BILT speaks for itself! There’s not much to a “typical” advisory board when you compare it to what the BILT Model provides.