Northwest-Shoals Community College
Advanced Welding Technology CJBT Grant
CAREER LADDER ADVISOR
Work Component 1: The Career Ladder Advisor provides career information to encourage high
school students to enroll in manufacturing career programs. Students from the partnering high schools
participate in an outreach program with activities in career advising, career camps, workshops, and
internships to interest students in manufacturing careers. Career Tech-dual high school/college credit
courses and academic support services are provided to ensure students have the academic skills needed
for entry into training programs directly from high school. Academic support, advising, counseling,
mentoring, and other services help students attain admission, certifications, short-term certificates,
degrees, and licensure at each level of the ladder.
Work Component 2: The Career Ladder is to promote the Advanced Welding Technology
(AWT) program as well as related Occupational/Technical programs to local Business and Industry in
order to provide advanced training and certifications for employees; as well as, simultaneously building a
partnership of Business and Industry advisees to support and implement innovative
occupational/technical training. This partnership is vital in providing highly skilled, ready-to-work
successful participants.
Step 1 Recruitment/Outreach
Promote the admission and advancement of students into manufacturing career programs, including rural,
minority, low-income, and other at-risk participants.
Establish and maintain liaisons with employers to develop internship positions and job placements for high
school students interested in the manufacturing career ladder.
Coordinate all Advanced Welding Technology career ladder program activities with the local secondary
schools, career technical schools, career centers, and business and industry.
Coordinate all Advanced Welding Technology career ladder program activities with the College and its strategic
partners in the project.
Participate in the development of student recruitment and retention plans.
Visit middle schools, high schools, and career centers to speak with prospective students and parents and to
arrange visits to the College.
Partner with school counselors to promote knowledge of the College’s career technical programs and other
outreach activities available to familiarize student with the college experience.
Participate in community workshops, school career days and job fairs.
Serve as a liaison to develop partnerships between the College and local school systems.
Create and distribute resource materials for student recruitment and retention programs.
Analyze trends in recruitment and retention and assist with program evaluation.
Plan and coordinate training events such as, career camps for program promotion and recruitment of students.
Correspond with NW-SCC Public Relations staff to publicize all program events.
Meet with local Business and Industry for advisement and promote advanced training for employees.
Step 2 Enrollment and Advising
Provide students with information about manufacturing careers, dual enrollment, career technical articulation
agreements, scholarships and internship opportunities.
Assist students with the completion of college enrollment and financial aid applications.
Assist in the preparation of program applications to add short term certificates in advanced welding techniques
and an Associate in Occupational Technology degree in Welding Technology.
Provide career and academic counseling, planning, and advising to potential students.
Coordinate speakers from business and industry, employment services and community agencies to prepare
students for employment.
Communicate with program Advisory Committee for employment opportunities and educational resources.
Advise students regarding their career track and educational/employment performance.
Step 3 Tracking Student Performance
Provide students with information about manufacturing careers, dual enrollment, career technical articulation
agreements, and internship opportunities.
Meet with students to discuss educational goals and obtain employment information.
Establish procedures to collect, maintain, and use data to monitor and measure student performance.
Develop a database and/or journals of prospective and current students interested in careers in manufacturing.
Partner with One-Stop Career Links and Employment Office personnel to access wage records and
employment performance.
Partner with NW-SCC MIS Department to access student records and maintain database.
Compile AWT data for quarterly reports.
Note: All tracking and information for the Northwest-Shoals Community College Community-Based Job Training
Grant for Advanced Welding Technology follows reporting procedures based on the following:
1. Student interviews: All information obtained through student interviews abides to the Family Education
Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, commonly known as FERPA, a federal law that protects the privacy of
student education records. Students have specific, protected rights regarding the release of such records
and FERPA requires that institutions adhere strictly to these guidelines. Students who do not want to
disclose their educational transcripts, training records, employment history, wage records and/or work
performance is respected and therefore documented.
2. The availability of wage records recorded by the Alabama Benefit Payment System (ABPS) Database and
with the cooperation of the Alabama State Employment Service and Career Centers.
Northwest-Shoals Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools to award the Associates in Arts, Associate in Science, Associate in Applied Science and Associate
in Occupational Technology degrees as well as certificates in specific occupational areas.
Nondiscrimination Policy: It is the Official policy of the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education and Northwest-Shoals
Community College that no person in Alabama shall on the grounds of race, color, disability, sex, religion, creed, national origin, or
age, be excluded from participation, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program, activity, or
nondiscriminatory regulations under Title VI and Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964; Title IX Education Amendment of 1972; Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act (ADA) of 1990.
This product is funded by a grant awarded to Northwest-Shoals Community College under the President’s Community-Based Job
Training Grants as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment & Training Administration. This information
contained in this product was created by a grantee organization and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S.
Department of Labor. All references to non-governmental companies or organizations, their services, products, or resources are
offered for informational purposes and should not be construed as an endorsement by the Department of Labor. This product is
copyrighted by the institution that created it and is intended for individual organizational, non-commercial use only.