What is an Advisory Committee and why are they important?
Advisory committees are intended to give the program instructor and the local administration input dealing with the direction of the program. They can help set the mission and goals of a program and help ensure the program is viable.
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Why does my program need an Advisory Committee?
We are all creatures of habit and feel safe in our comfort zones. To grow and expand our programs we must increase the area of those zones. That can be done by expanding our circle of influence. One way this can be done is by developing and using an effective advisory committee. What this committee can do is allow the program to be seen from a different prospective, give support to the program and help the program to improve in areas that need assistance. The advisory committee could validate that the program is moving in the right direction.
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When starting an Advisory Committee what steps should be taken?
In a smaller district there should be one advisory committee for all career and technical education programs. In large districts with many CTE programs there should be program advisory committees. The administrator and the instructor or instructors should work together to develop the committee. They would identify a chairperson before developing the committee. The instructor or instructors, the administrator and program advisory committee chairperson should agree on the potential candidates. The committee should reflect the population within the local community. Four to six members of the committee should be from business and industry. Other members of the committee may include: administrators, school board members, teachers of related academic courses, counselors, parents, postsecondary faculty, students (alumni or current) and articulation partners. Term limits of three years work best with one third of the committee completing their terms in a year. This can be done by having the committee members draw for term length after the committee is formed. This allows the members to be on the committee long enough to understand the program, but not long enough to make the process a burden. A member could serve a second term if the leadership feels that individual has more to offer.
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What should be the results of an Advisory Committee?
First you will have a program that truly fits the needs of your community. Through the involvement of the administration you would have their buy-in of your program. If there is a push to do away with or diminish your program, you would have support outside of the program to help fight that battle and give proof of the worth of the program. You will have more time to do your job and spend less time dealing with issues that waste your time.
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