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The BILT Model

Giving Employers a Stronger Voice in Shaping College Programs

 What’s So Unique About the BILT?

  • Frequency
  • Specificity
  • Depth of business input

  • Co-led by industry in partnership with educators
    The role of employers in conventional advisory committees is often to “rubber stamp” what programs are already doing or plan to do, rather than to help shape the direction and content of those programs. The Business and Industry Leadership Teams (BILT) model, developed by the National Convergence Technology Center at Collin College, takes a different approach that puts businesses in a co-leadership role for college technical programs.
    Emphasis on relationships with employers and educators
    BILTs embrace the notion that employer engagement is not an event, but a process built on trusted relationships between colleges and companies.  The outcome is program curriculum designed to meet the needs of business with a talent pipeline of students who are workforce ready.
  • The KSA Process
    The KSA process is a structured, repeatable voting process. Subject matter experts (SME) in their fields serve an important role on a BILT as they prioritize the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) that program graduates should possess, ultimately producing candidates the businesses are much more likely to hire. BILTs update the KSAs for their programs every year.

The Benefits of a BILT

BILT Benefits Students
  • Because BILT members feel ownership of courses, certificates, and degrees, they’re likely to seek your graduates
  • BILT members are engaged; students in the program are first to be considered for opportunities such as internships, even before they complete
  • BILT members mentor students
  • BILT members help with events, interview skills, perspectives on “a day in the life,” etc
BILT Benefits Faculty
  • Faculty have assurance they are teaching what businesses want BILT members serve as guest speaker and assist with recruitment events on-campus and off.
  • BILT members alert faculty of trends in time for curriculum adjustment
  • BILT members often provide free or reduced-cost professional development for faculty.
  • BILT members often provide externships.


BILT Benefits Employers
• Their pipeline of “workforce ready” job
candidates is increased
• They develop professional relationships
with other BILT members and with the
college
• They’re able to give back to their
community in a way that makes a real
difference
• They know their time is valued

For more information about effective strategies and benefits of employer engagement, read the recently published report
A Look at Partnerships Between Employers
and Community and Technical Colleges:
Observations and Recommendations <ECMC Report link here>

Ask Hope if the link is enough of if we should do a summary page for the report. We started a draft of one.

Are You BILT-ready?

Do you have a Business Advisory Committee?

•             How often do they meet?

•             How many people have been at the last two meetings?

College Self-Assessment Tool that Debbie Sent – How could a BILT help your college?

Build questionaire here

You have a BILT if
  • CO-LEAD a single educational program and  
  •  HELP STEER curriculum decisions 
  •  CONVENE often – at least 3 times/year 
  • INVITE faculty to attend the BILT meetings as active listeners 
  • VOTE and PRIORITIZE entry-level job KSAs once a year using a structured, repeatable process for a single program 
  • SHARE perspectives on future industry trends 
  • DEPEND ON faculty to map prioritized KSAs to curriculum to identify gaps 
  • REVIEW feedback on school implementation of BILT–prioritized KSAs and PROBLEM-SOLVE any implementation challenges 
  • Includes a mix of technicians, technical managers, and high-level technical strategists.