Building Stronger
Pathways to Retail Careers
Initiative
Request for Proposals
Funding for this Achieving the Dream initiative comes from the
generous support of the Walmart Foundation.
Proposal Submission Deadline: May 5, 2015
Table of Contents
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Section
Page
Number
Summary
2
Background
2
Achieving the Dream’s Retail Pathways Initiative Activities
4
Successful Applicants Will Receive Support, Technical Assistance, and
Peer Learning
6
Expected Outcomes
7
Institution Eligibility and Selection
8
Description of Funding Commitments
8
Dates and Timelines
9
Proposal Submission
11
Questions
11
Proposal Narrative
12
Contact Information
12
1) Summary Statement
13
2) Existing Retail Career Pathways
13
3) Existing Data and Data Capacity
15
4) Retail Employer Engagement
16
5) Project Description: Components of the Pathway Design
16
6) College Team
18
7) Technical Assistance
18
President/CEO Signature
19
Submission Checklist
19
Summary
Achieving the Dream, Inc. (ATD) and the Walmart Foundation are pleased to announce the Building
Stronger Pathways to Retail Careers Initiative (Retail Pathways Initiative). This managed grant initiative
will assist community colleges in the ATD National Reform Network in strengthening pathways to
middle-skill retail careers. The 19-month initiative will provide community college students and
incumbent retail workers with easily accessible, accelerated, and efficient retail pathways to master
required competencies for middle-skill retail careers that pay family-sustaining wages.
ATD invites proposals from active ATD institutions for the Retail Pathways Initiative. Four selected
colleges will each receive funds of $112,000 to strengthen a short-term (six months or less) retail
credential that leads to middle-skill retail careers and is nested in and aligned within a broader, cohesive
retail pathway. Recipient colleges will commit to and will receive technical assistance to build their
capacity in tracking, analyzing, and using data to evaluate and improve their middle-skill retail career
pathway programs. Colleges will then scale the pathway improvement components and program learning
outcomes to any additional credentials contained within the broader retail pathway.
Third-party evaluation of the initiative will enable ATD to document promising practices that colleges
can use to improve retail and other career pathway programs. In addition, ATD is conducting an
environmental scan of the ATD Network of community colleges to determine the current status and
extent of retail pathways and collaboration with retail employers.
Background
The retail industry employs more than 14.9 million workers across the United States, and it is estimated to
create more than 1.1 million new jobs by 2022.1 Many of these new jobs will require skill sets that job
seekers do not possess but can learn and develop at one of the nation's 1,132 community colleges. 2
Community colleges are developing career pathways to ensure they are preparing their students to
succeed in the current and future economies, and are providing local economies with skilled workers who
will meet employer needs. This initiative’s ultimate objective is to raise the visibility and catalyze the
development of middle-skill retail career pathways at community colleges across the nation, leading to
more students attaining the competencies required to succeed in middle-skill retail careers, and eliminate
local, state, and regional retail employment skills gaps.
Nearly half of all U.S. students enrolled in higher education institutions are studying in community
colleges. Clearly defined and easily accessible retail career pathways in community colleges will equip
students with in-demand competencies that are transferable and valuable to retail and other related
occupations. Retail career pathways will enable more low-income students, students of color, firstgeneration students, and other historically underserved student populations, many of whom arrive at
1
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2013). Employment by major industry sector, 2002, 2012, and projected
2022: 2012 data [Data set]. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.t03.htm
2 American Association of Community Colleges. (2014). 2014 Fact Sheet. Retrieved from
http://www.aacc.nche.edu/AboutCC/Documents/Facts14_Data_R3.pdf
RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE | SUMMARY
2
college underprepared for credit-bearing coursework, to complete stackable credentials that can lead to
degrees and career opportunities that provide family-sustaining wages.
Middle-Skill Job Definition
Jobs requiring more education than a high school degree but less than a bachelor's degree are defined as
middle skill. Middle-skill jobs are full-time positions that provide employees with wages and benefits that
enable them to earn living wages and support their families. Middle-skill career positions can serve as
fertile grounds for continuing advancement within a company and for acquiring additional training,
whether on-the-job or through educational institutions. While approximately half of all U.S. jobs are now
classified as middle skill, many employers have found it difficult to fill those jobs with candidates who
have the skills required. For example, in 2008, 52 percent of all jobs in the U.S. were classified as middle
skill, whereas only 42 percent of the applicants for those jobs had the necessary skills to fill them.3
Technological advancement and evolving consumer expectations and demands have led to increased
levels of skill necessary for a significant number of jobs across all industries.
A 2014 analysis from Burning Glass Technologies depicts an emerging career ladder in retail where retail
sales associates follow upward pathways into positions such as retail supervisor: “Retail supervisors
develop a diverse skill set that includes sales and customer service, management, administration and
accounting, logistics, and security.”4 Community colleges can help prepare incumbent retail workers and
community college students for middle-skill retail positions, such as retail supervisor, by creating
stackable credentials with strong support services and a curriculum that is closely aligned with the
required competencies for such positions.
Qualifying Programs of Study/Credentials/Certificates
For the purposes of this initiative, a retail program of study is defined as any program that leads students
to develop and strengthen necessary skills to secure and succeed in a job in the retail industry that requires
more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year degree (i.e., middle skill). The retail industry
includes e-commerce, brick-and-mortar retail,5 leisure and hospitality (including restaurants,
accommodation, and drinking establishments),6 and financial services.7 Areas of employment in the retail
industry definition include, but are not limited to:

Sales;



Management/supervision;
Marketing;
Merchandising

Logistics;

Administration and accounting; and

Loss prevention.
3
Achieve. (2012). The Future of the U.S. Workforce: Middle Skill Jobs and the Growing Importance of Postsecondary Education.
Retrieved from http://www.achieve.org/MiddleSkills
4 The White House. (2014). Ready to Work: Job-Driven Training and American Opportunity. Retrieved from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/skills_report.pdf
5 Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2015). Industries at a Glance: Retail Trade. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag4445.htm
6 National Federation of Retail and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. (2014). The Economic Impact of the U.S. Retail Industry.
Retrieved from https://nrf.com/sites/default/files/Documents/Retails-Impact-Printable-Highlights-REV.pdf
7 The White House. Ready to Work.
RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE | BACKGROUND
3
Programs of study that lead to careers in any of these areas of employment in any of the industries
mentioned are acceptable programs of study for this initiative.
Achieving the Dream’s Retail Pathway Initiative Activities
Pathway Definition
For the purposes of this initiative, a retail pathway is a set of stackable credentials that lead students to
middle-skill careers in retail and offer students multiple entry and exit points to assist them in moving to
the next level in their careers. Students in the pathway receive comprehensive wrap-around supports.
Credentials within the pathway are based on employer-informed competencies and, thus, have market
value.
Essential Components of the Pathway Improvement Design
The colleges’ retail pathway improvement efforts will be designed to strengthen short-term (six months or
less) education programs that are nested in and aligned within a broader, cohesive retail pathway. Each
college’s retail pathway improvement design should include most of the following components.
Pathway Structure
1) Structured scheduling of courses with guaranteed course offerings.
2) Clear, easily accessible career pathway and short-term credential information, including
information on middle-skill jobs and the characteristics of their working environments—such as
wages and benefits, and full-time/part-time status. Students should also have access to a visual
map of the pathway that includes opportunities for attainment of additional educational
opportunities, including more advanced degrees and transfer to four-year institutions.
Occupational Education
1) Structured pathway composed of stackable credentials that lead students to middle-skill careers in
retail and offer students multiple entry and exit points to assist them in moving to higher levels in
their careers.
2) Labor market information and workforce data used to improve in-demand retail career pathways
and programs. It is important to note that while technical assistance will be provided, colleges
will be expected to develop the capacity to compile, analyze, and use labor market and related
data themselves.
3) Short-term (six months or less) retail program of study with courses focused on middle-skill retail
competencies as defined by retail employers (see Background section above for a definition of
retail areas of employment and industries).
4) Training and education in soft skills ̶ such as collaboration/communication skills, reflective
learning, critical thinking, adaptability, and self-awareness ̶ that are designed and developed in
concert with retail employers and integrated strategically into the structured program of study.
Colleges should work with employers to identify how these skills will be valuable for middleskill retail careers.
5) Courses offered for credit and apply to future credentials.
6) Credit for prior learning embedded into the career pathway programs.
RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE | ACHIEVING THE DREAM’S RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE ACTIVITIES
4
7) Work-based learning, which may include internships, structured practicums, and/or job
shadowing.
8) Community-based learning experiences, such as volunteering opportunities that focus on
development of employer-identified competencies. Ideally, students would have the opportunity
to gain course credit for these experiences.
9) Accelerated and contextualized developmental education courses for retail pathways students.
Wrap-Around Student Services
1) Active recruitment of students by leveraging employer and community partnerships to identify
prospective students for retail pathways.
2) Pro-actively connect students to supports that promote retention and persistence through the retail
program and pathway. Each student should receive:
a. Comprehensive academic supports, including academic planning and frequent advising.
b. Social supports, such as assistance identifying childcare, transportation, and housing
options.
c. Financial supports, including easily accessible financial information, financial aid
assistance, and financial literacy education opportunities.
d. Career supports, such as career mapping and comprehensive career advising. Colleges are
encouraged to assign staff members to serve as career navigators for retail pathways
students, thereby strengthening the advising support system. Individuals serving as career
navigators typically work closely with students to simplify enrollment and selection of
programs of study as well as provide them with ample social, academic, and financial
supports needed to persist and successfully complete their studies.
3) Job placement supports for students provided by the community college and retail employer
partners.
Colleges’ Capacity, Skills, and Relationships
In order to be able to strengthen the pathway components, colleges selected for this initiative must agree
to the following.


Build upon existing relationships with retail employers to: 1) identify desired competencies of
middle-skill retail employees; 2) hire students who complete the retail program; and 3) value and
use graduates’ competencies.
Collect, analyze, and use labor market information, workforce, and student-level data to design,
deliver, and continually improve retail career pathways, including data on:
- Demand for middle-skill retail jobs;
- Program retention, completion, and credentialing;
- Job placement;
- Job retention of students upon receiving middle-skill retail credentials;
- Number of students retained in the retail pathway after completing their first credential;
and
- Retail employer feedback on graduates.
ATD recognizes that recipient colleges may not have yet developed methods for tracking students
into the workforce or assessing their persistence in the workforce after leaving the college, and
will work with the college to build this capacity.
RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE | ACHIEVING THE DREAM’S RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE ACTIVITIES
5




Work cooperatively with the external evaluator and cross-college data coach throughout the
project to gather and share student-level data to evaluate implementation and impact.
Create and implement professional development for instructors and advisors so they can
effectively respond to employer-informed curricular changes and provide career advising to
students.
Share and disseminate outcomes and promising practices not only within their institutions but
also with their partners, local retail employers, and communities, as well as with ATD, peer
community colleges, other national community colleges, and retail business organizations.
Design and implement plans to sustain their pathway efforts and relationships beyond the project
period.
Successful Applicants will Receive Support, Technical
Assistance, and Peer Learning
In addition to the financial resources provided by the Walmart Foundation, ATD will provide technical
support to colleges as they develop and implement strategies for strengthening retail pathways. The
technical assistance provided by ATD includes: 1) assistance specific to the needs of the individual
community colleges in the retail pathways initiative; 2) assistance common to the needs of all community
colleges in the project; and 3) assistance through peer learning among the colleges. ATD anticipates that
this combination of technical assistance will provide each college with the level of support it needs to
achieve the goals of this project. Colleges will receive in-person and virtual consultations from technical
assistants and with other Retail Pathway Initiative colleges.
1) To ensure seamless technical assistance customized for each college, ATD staff will coordinate
the services of a small cadre of subject matter experts called the Retail Pathways Support Team
that will include a retail pathways expert, a cross-college data coach, each college’s ATD data
and leadership coaches, and the external evaluation team. The retail pathways expert will provide
technical assistance on the retail pathways improvement design and implementation. The crosscollege data coach will work with all selected colleges to ensure data learnings are consistently
shared across the participating colleges, to ensure that all grant and evaluation requirements are
met, and to augment the work of each college’s leadership and data coaches. Each college’s
leadership and data coaches will assist the college in connecting these retail pathway
improvement efforts with their overarching student success goals and strategies, and will help the
college internally scale learnings from these efforts to other career pathways under development.
It is important to underscore that while technical assistance will be provided, colleges will be
expected to develop the capacity to compile, analyze, and use labor market and related data
themselves.
2) ATD staff will work closely with college implementation teams as they guide, monitor, and
document strategies for improving retail pathways and delivering effective retail training
programs for their students. ATD will regularly review planning, implementation, and reporting
by the colleges and provide assistance in developing processes and systems for tracking,
RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE | SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS WILL RECEIVE SUPPORT, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE,
AND PEER LEARNING
6
analyzing, and using performance data to evaluate and improve their work. In addition, ATD will
share findings from its environmental scan of existing retail career pathways in ATD colleges.
3) ATD will organize and facilitate regular opportunities for the selected colleges to network with
each other in order to share learnings, challenges, and successes. These opportunities will include
virtual and in-person meetings.
Finally, ATD will work with an external evaluator to assess the implementation and effectiveness of
the selected colleges' retail career pathway improvements. From the experiences of these four
colleges, ATD will identify and document promising practices and lessons learned for implementing
and improving retail career pathways at community colleges.
Expected Outcomes
The selected colleges’ retail pathway improvement efforts will be designed to strengthen short-term (six
months or less) education programs that are nested in and aligned within a broader, cohesive retail
pathway. To begin the project, ATD will conduct an assessment of the current status of retail pathways,
curricula, and collaboration with retail employers at ATD Network colleges. Throughout the initiative, a
formative and summative external evaluation will be conducted to enable the four colleges and ATD to
monitor implementation effectiveness and refine efforts where necessary. One particularly important and
valuable outcome of this evaluation will be the documentation of key elements of successful
implementation of pathway improvements that other community colleges will be able to adapt and adopt
to improve their retail career pathways.
There are three main outcomes expected for this initiative.
1) It will increase the capacity of the selected colleges to build and/or strengthen retail pathways into
middle-skill retail careers as well as collect, analyze, and use labor market and student-level data. In turn,
lessons learned will be documented and shared with other areas of the colleges where career pathways are
being designed, implemented, and strengthened.
2) It will meet retail employer needs by filling the skills gaps that exist within the retail industry local to
the selected colleges. Partnerships between retail employers and community colleges will be formed or
strengthened to create short-term (six months or less) stackable credential programs that equip the
workforce with needed retail competencies that will lattice into additional retail-related credentials.
Students will be supported by strong career, academic, and financial advising systems. Retail pathways
will be well marketed, their curricula will be clearly identified, and they will include short-term, creditbearing courses meeting the time-limitation constraints of most community college students.
3) It will provide the community college sector with critical information and tools to enable the spread of
retail career pathway development based upon employer collaborations with community colleges across
the nation. ATD will capture and broadly disseminate an inventory of promising practices – based on the
activities of the selected colleges – via a toolkit to include frameworks, case studies, and templates.
RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE | EXPECTED OUTCOMES
7
Institution Eligibility and Selection
Any active Achieving the Dream institution is eligible to apply for this promising opportunity.
The selection process is competitive. Colleges will be assessed on current retail program offerings and
their willingness to strengthen retail career pathways as well as their capacity to complete the work
outlined in the Achieving the Dream’s Retail Pathways Initiative section of this RFP within the grant
period. A selection committee will review the proposals and select up to four colleges from the ATD
Network to participate in the Retail Pathways Initiative, beginning June 2015. The committee will assess
each proposal and determine each college's capacity and commitment to undertake the proposed work,
including planning and implementing successful strategies that will lead to sustainable improvements in
retail pathways. Proposed college plans for design and implementation should be bold and achievable
within the 19-month grant period beginning June 2015 and ending December 2016.
Description of Funding Commitments
Four colleges will each receive $112,000 in grant funds, paid in two installments over the 19-month grant
period. The first installment of $75,000 will be sent to the college upon ATD’s receipt of a signed grant
agreement in June 2015. The second installment of $37,000 will be distributed to the college in June 2016,
subject to satisfactory performance. Applicants must submit a budget and narrative for how they plan to
use the award.
Each selected college will sign a contract for the receipt of grant funds. By signing the document, the
college agrees to comply with all policies, guidelines, and requirements as they relate to the acceptance
and use of the Walmart Foundation funds for this project. Each selected college must also commit to
implementing and completing the project plan, deliverables, and reporting components outlined within
their proposal submission and required by Achieving the Dream and the Walmart Foundation. Selected
colleges will be expected to assist in the dissemination of project findings locally and nationally and will
acknowledge and recognize the Walmart Foundation’s generous support of this economically significant
initiative within their communities.
Grant funds are to be used to strengthen a short-term (six months or less) retail credential that is nested in
and aligned within a broader, cohesive retail pathway. Colleges are then expected to scale the pathway
improvement components and program learning outcomes to any additional credentials contained within
the broader retail pathway. Colleges will not be permitted to use grant funds to strengthen existing
additional credentials within the retail pathway unless those reforms also strengthen the short-term
credential.
Grant funds may be used to:
1) Support dedicated time for faculty and staff to plan for and implement strategies to strengthen the
short-term certificate situated within a retail pathway, including enhancing curricula and
occupational training methodologies.
2) Compile, analyze, and use labor market and related data. ATD recognizes that recipient colleges
may not have yet developed methods for tracking students into the workforce or assessing their
RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE | INSTITUTION ELIGIBILITY AND SELECTION
8
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
persistence in the workforce after leaving the college and will work with the colleges to build this
capacity.
Build internal teams – including colleges' administration, student and academic affairs personnel,
workforce personnel, institutional researchers, advisors, and faculty – and define how these teams
will collaborate with regional retail employers and regional workforce institutions to build strong
pathways into middle-skill retail jobs.
Develop, implement, and improve partnerships with employers to create a strong feedback loop
between retail employers and community colleges with respect to curricula, in-demand middle
skills competencies, credentialing, and employment.
Provide wrap-around academic, social, career, and financial supports that promote student
retention and persistence through retail programs. For more detail on the types of wrap-around
support included in this grant, please refer to the Achieving the Dream’s Retail Pathways
Initiative Activities section of this RFP.
Actively recruit students into the retail pathway.
Facilitate cooperative and timely work flow with the external evaluator, ATD leadership and data
coaches, and the cross-college data coach throughout the project to collect and analyze data,
extract meaningful information, and share important, relevant findings.
Regularly and openly share lessons learned throughout the project.
Dates and Timelines
Application and Selection Process (March – June 2015)
Mar 26, 2015
Request for Proposals released to the Achieving the Dream Network
May 5, 2015
Proposal submission deadline
June 2015
Notification of selected institutions
June 2015
Virtual kickoff meeting for selected institutions
Project Implementation (June 2015 – December 2016)
June – Aug 2015
College planning period
June – Sep 2015
Colleges receive first technical assistance visit from the Retail
Pathways Support Team (see page 6)
First term of implementation begins. Pathways and program
enhancement continues
Aug – Sep 2015
Oct 2015
Initial ATD/college virtual consultation
Nov 2015
First college report due
RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE | DATES AND TIMELINES
9
Dec 2015
Second ATD/college virtual consultation
Jan 2016
Second college report due
Jan 2016
Second term/semester of implementation begins. Employment of first
term students
Feb 2016
Third ATD/college virtual consultation
Feb 23-26, 2016
Strengthening Retail Pathways Program convening at DREAM 2016
Mar 2016
Fourth ATD/college virtual consultation
Mar 2016
Third college report due
Apr – Nov 2016
Final evaluator visit
May 2016
Fifth ATD/college virtual consultation
Aug 2016
Third semester of implementation begins
Sep 2016
Fourth college report due
Dec 2016
Demonstration project implementation ends
Dec 2016
ATD/four college initiative debrief
Jan 2017
Final college report due
Please Note: Each selected college will receive two visits by the evaluation team, which may or may not
be combined with the Retail Pathways Support Team visits.
RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE |
10
Proposal Submission
Proposals should be submitted by emailing the required components listed below to
retailpathways@achievingthedream.org. The email subject should be Retail Pathways Initiative
Application_College Name.
All proposals must be submitted by 11:59 pm (PT) on May 5, 2015.
Required Components
Please include the following when submitting your application.
1) Proposal narrative (Word)
2) Budget and budget narrative (Excel)
3) Visual map(s) of your college’s existing retail career pathway(s) and its programs of study, onramps, and off ramps to credentials, etc. that your college currently uses (Word or PDF)
Questions
Questions regarding this request for proposals should be directed to:
Cindy Lenhart
Vice President for Community College Relations
Achieving the Dream, Inc.
Phone: (240) 450-0075
Email: retailpathways@achievingthedream.org
RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE | PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
11
Proposal Narrative
Contact Information
Institution Submitting Application
To receive the grant funds.
Legal
Name
Address
Website
Tax ID
Tax Status
Institution President/CEO
To be notified of submission status.
Name
Title
Phone
Email
Main Application Contact
To be notified of submission status in addition to the institution’s President/CEO.
Name
Title
Phone
Email
RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE | PROPOSAL NARRATIVE
12
1) Summary Statement
Provide a statement detailing your college’s interest in and commitment to strengthening career
pathways generally, and a brief summary of your proposed efforts to strengthen a short-term (six
months or less) retail credential that is nested in and aligned within a broader, cohesive retail pathway.
In your response, please also include the number of students your college plans to enroll in this shortterm retail credential during the 19-month project period.
For a definition of retail programs, please refer to the Background section of this RFP.
(Limit to ~ 250 words.)
2) Existing Retail Career Pathways
The purpose of these questions is to learn about your college’s existing retail pathways.
a. Provide a visual map(s) of your existing retail career pathway(s) and its programs of study as well
as its on-ramps and off-ramps to credentials. Please include this visual map(s) in a separate file
(Word or PDF) in your email submission along with your other application materials.
b. Please complete the following table to describe elements of your college’s short-term retail
credential that you will strengthen or create through this grant.
Program name
Entry requirements
Length of program (in
months)
Field-based learning
included
For credit or noncredit? If for credit,
what is the program
length (in credit hours)?
If non-credit, are these
courses and credentials
pre-requisites to college
credit? If so, please
explain this process
RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE | PROPOSAL NARRATIVE
13
Explain how this
program stacks or
lattices into additional
educational
opportunities, including
AA/AS degrees and
transfer to four-year
universities
To what types of jobs
does this credential
typically lead? Are
these jobs entry level or
middle-skill?
Additional comments
c. Describe the supports your college currently provides to students in retail programs of study to
optimize student persistence and completion. In your response, please include:
i. A description of your college’s current career advising processes, including whether advising
is face-to-face or electronic and whether it is optional, recommended, or required. In your
response, please indicate how many of your retail pathways students currently receive career
advising.
ii. A description of your college’s job placement advising and other job placement supports.
iii. A description of your college’s academic advising processes as they relate to this program of
study.
iv. A description of your college’s social supports (e.g., assistance securing childcare), including
financial supports, such as financial advising and financial aid services, as they relate to this
program of study.
(Limit to ~ 750 words.)
RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE | PROPOSAL NARRATIVE
14
3) Existing Data and Data Capacity
The purpose of these questions is to ascertain your college’s current use of data and capacity to
collect, analyze, and use student-level outcome and labor market data.
a) Complete the following table for your college’s retail program.
Please provide the following data points
2012-13
2013-14
Unduplicated headcount of students enrolled in the retail program8
Unduplicated headcount of students enrolled in one or more
courses in the retail program9
Unduplicated number of students completing one or more
certificates and/or a degree in the retail program during this time
period
Number of students completing certificate(s) and/or degree(s) in
the retail program during this time period, disaggregated by each
certificate(s) and/or degree(s)
Certificate [NAME]
Certificate [NAME]
Certificate [NAME]
Certificate [NAME]
Certificate [NAME]
Degree [NAME]
Degree [NAME]
Add more rows if needed
b) Please respond to each of the following questions with a “Yes” or “No.” If the response is “No”
please describe why not and if this grant will make it possible to do so.
i.
Does your college routinely disaggregate these data by race/ethnicity, Pell eligibility, age,
gender, and highest education level prior to program entry?
ii.
Does your college currently determine whether students entering your retail program are
already working in the retail industry?
iii.
Does your college currently determine whether students currently enrolled in your retail
program are already working in the retail industry?
iv.
Does your college currently determine whether students entering your retail program
are college ready?
v.
Does your college currently track students who complete a certificate or degree in your
retail program to determine if they are working in the field?
8
Count each student once, whether the student enrolled in just one term or multiple terms.
Program-specific courses, not electives, general education, or required courses from other disciplines, such as
accounting. Include only students enrolled in a retail program.
9
RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE | PROPOSAL NARRATIVE
15
vi.
vii.
viii.
Does your college currently track students who complete a certificate or degree in your
retail program to determine if they are still working in the field six months after
completion?
Does your college currently track students who leave the college without completing a
certificate or degree in your retail program to determine if they are working in the field?
Does your college currently track students who leave the college without completing a
certificate or degree in your retail program to determine if they are still working in the
field six months after leaving the college?
c) Provide evidence of demand for a supply of middle-skill retail employees within your service
area. In your response, please identify the sources of these data.
Note: Examples of labor market information include real-time labor market data provided by
federal, state, or local employment/job datasets, employer feedback, labor market data companies.
(Limit to ~ 500 words.)
4) Retail Employer Engagement
Describe the mechanisms ̶ such as focus groups, meetings, and roundtables ̶ your college currently
uses to engage and sustain relationships with local retail employers. In your response, please include:
a) How employer input is systematically integrated into your college’s change processes to
strengthen the quality of your retail program offerings.
b) To what extent do employers contribute to the recruitment of students into college retail programs,
to the provision of field- and work-based learning opportunities, and to job placement for retail
program graduates.
(Limit to ~ 500 words.)
5) Project Description: Components of the Pathway Design
These questions are designed to help your college refine its pathway improvement activities and
inform Achieving the Dream of your priorities, deliverables, and timeline for this grant.
a) Using the list below, identify the aspects of a short-term (six months or less), middle-skill retail
career credential ̶ nested in and aligned within a broader, cohesive retail pathway ̶ that your college
will create or, if already in existence, strengthen with the support and vision of this grant. It is
Achieving the Dream’s expectation that each college will select most of the pathway components.
For additional information on each component, please review the Retail Pathways Initiative
Activities section of this RFP.
Pathway
Category
Pathway Component
Select all components your
college will create or
strengthen with this grant
(use a “c” to indicate
“create” or an “s” to
RETAIL PATHWAY INITIATIVE | PROPOSAL NARRATIVE
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indicate “strengthen”)
Pathway
Structure
Guaranteed scheduling of courses with guaranteed
course offerings
Pathway
Structure
Clear career pathway and short-term credential
information
Student
Supports
Active recruitment of students
Student
Supports
Comprehensive and ongoing academic supports,
including academic planning and proactive and
frequent advising
Student
Supports
Social supports, such as assistance identifying
childcare, transportation, and housing options
Student
Supports
Financial supports, including financial aid assistance
and financial literacy education opportunities
Student
Supports
Career supports, such as career mapping and
comprehensive career advising
Student
Supports
Job placement support
Occupational
Education
Accelerated and contextualized developmental
education
Occupational
Education
Credit for prior learning
Occupational
Education
Field- or community-based learning
Occupational
Education
Collect and use labor market information and
workforce data
Occupational
Education
Identify and integrate middle-skill retail
competencies
Occupational
Education
Contextualized courses
Occupational
Education /
Student
Supports
Professional development for instructors and
advisors
Required Scaling Elements
Scaling
Pathways
Internally evaluate your institution’s retail pathways efforts
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Scaling
Pathways
Leverage learnings from strengthening the short-term retail credential to inform the
enhancement of the broader, cohesive retail pathway
Scaling
Pathways
Share and disseminate results and methodologies within your institution and with other
community colleges
Scaling
Pathways
Work cooperatively with the external evaluator and cross-college data coach
throughout the project to gather and share student-level data to evaluate
implementation and impact
b) Provide a high-level timeline of key activities and deliverables that includes a description of how
and when your college intends to implement the selected and required initiative activities. Note:
Your institution will be able to refine your plan over the summer of 2015.
(Limit to ~ 1500 words.)
6) College Team
Identify the key personnel at your college who should be engaged in thoughtfully designing and
implementing innovative pathways improvements that, in concert with retail business leaders, will
offer intensive stackable middle-skills training and education courses to students.
(Limit to ~ 300 words.)
7) Anticipated Challenges/Capacities to Improve
Identify any anticipated challenges your institution may need to overcome or capacities that may need
further development in order to effectively implement the work outlined in your Project Description.
(Limit to ~ 300 words.)
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President/CEO Signature
As President/CEO of the applying institution, I have reviewed and approve my institution’s application
for Achieving the Dream’s Retail Pathways Initiative. I agree to commit my institution to remaining in
the Achieving the Dream Network throughout the grant cycle (2015-2017), if selected for this initiative.
X
President/CEO
Submission Checklist
Proposals should be submitted by emailing the required components listed below to
retailpathways@achievingthedream.org. The email subject should be Retail Pathways Application College Name.
Required Components
Included?
Proposal narrative (Word)
Budget and budget narrative (Excel)
Visual map of your college’s existing retail career pathway and its
programs of study, on-ramps, and off ramps to credentials, etc.
(Word or PDF)
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