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WHAT IS NATIONAL SIGNING DAY

National Signing Day honors students who are making a commitment to pursue a technical career.

National Signing Day both elevates technical education and recognizes it as a choice that leads to high-demand, high-skill, high-wage jobs.

National Signing Day celebrates the dignity of CTE careers and demonstrates career pathways that lead to social and economic mobility.

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SETTING THE SCENE:�VIDEO OVERVIEW OF NATIONAL SIGNING DAY�

https://youtu.be/evWXJ-Xu58A

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NSD TALKING POINTS

CTE students on a given pathway sign Letters of Intent signifying that the school is telling those students a place has been reserved for them and that they are valued.

Signing Day provides a great opportunity for schools to involve new students, their families, your faculty, your local business and community leaders, and your corporate partners in our mission to do “more and better CTE”.

Typically Signing Day is in April. However, given your individual campus enrollment trends, you may want to schedule Signing Day during Welcome Week in the fall semester based on your spring semester enrollments.

Be sure to include your dual enrollment students!

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NATIONAL SIGNING DAY (NSD) GUIDELINES

Identify & Finalize Your Event Date & Time
Identify and Assemble Your Team
Identify Resources for Your Event
Develop Your Event Planning Timeline
Identify Student Participants & Potential Scholarship Opportunities
Compile Your “Ideal” Guest List
Send a :”Save the Date” Postcard

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SAMPLE AGENDA

9:00am Registration/Check-in
9:30am Meet with Speakers, Instructors, Business and Industry Partners
10:00am Welcome/Opening Remarks
10:15am Speakers (Future Employers)
10:30am Flight of Signees (by Program)
11:45am Congratulatory/Closing Remarks

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BEST PRACTICES: PLANNING YOUR EVENT

Include faculty, staff, members of your administration and your board in planning for National Signing Day.
Create a planning committee. This event is a team effort!

Members of the committee should include your Public Information Office (Marketing), Instruction, Information Technology, Workforce Development, and others as your local campus deems necessary.

Purchase necessary items for "Student Participation Welcome Kits" such as hats, shirts, pens, etc. Your “brand” for support of CTE education should be reflected.

Get creative in how you will celebrate students as they sign their Letters of Intent.

Communicate effectively. Make sure business and industry partners, media, students, faculty, high schools, and the community understand what Signing Day is and its importance.

Make sure the day is about your incoming students. They should feel valued above all other goals for the day.

Make this a celebration!

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BEST PRACTICES: MEDIA AND MARKETING

Submit press releases to local media outlets including newspaper, radio, and TV stations working with your Public Information Office.

Create a social media campaign.

Add the event date to your website.

Book media appearances early.

Send VIP invitations separately.

Set up a link to your streaming event, and provide the link on web and social media outlets.

Hire a photographer/videographer or designate one for the day. (Engage your students in photography, journalism, and film making to participate.

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BEST PRACTICES: SOCIAL MEDIA

Create a countdown clock to create hype to your event, and place the link on all channels.

Take photos of the students at the event. Be sure to follow your campus’ protocol for photos.

Encourage students to tag themselves and friends in the photos.

Tag community organizations, businesses, schools, and supporters.

Follow businesses, schools, and supporters on social media and retweet posts.

Link live stream event on all channels.

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LET US KNOW HOW IT GOES

Feedback is the “breakfast of champions”!
Let us know if you have done a Signing Day. We would like to highlight your efforts to share with others.
What would you add to the toolkit?

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