47 Committee Makeup

Purpose of Technical Advisory Committees

Successful career and technical education programs maintain close ties with business, industry, and labor and must be integrally linked to their communities and state. Career and technical education programs in Idaho are required to “incorporate active input from an appropriately qualified business/industry technical advisory committee.”

An effective technical advisory committee reveals local career opportunities, prepares students to enter the workforce, and/or helps upgrade the skills of workers already employed. The committee advises the program to ensure that it stays up to date in terms of content and training. Committee members also assist in, and advocate for, student, faculty, and program needs. Ultimately, committees strengthen the working relationships between the career and technical education programs and the communities they serve. Specifically, technical advisory committees should:

• Bring focus to important program outcomes,
• Bring training expertise to the table – they provide on-the-job training to their employees and can share best practices,
• Secure resources for programs – e.g., equipment, manpower, expertise, speakers/judges for student organizations (CTSOs),
• Provide students and staff with new opportunities – internships, work experiences, and career exploration,
• Connect with the larger community – committee members have networks they can engage as appropriate,
• Advocate on behalf of programs.

General Committee Framework

An advisory committee is a group that is:

• Recognized for its expertise in a specific occupational area,
• Made up of business, industry, and labor representatives of the occupation(s) for which training is provided, and
• Organized to advise institution personnel on matters concerning the career and technical education program.

Committee Size

The size of the committee may vary by the size of the community, scope of the career and technical education program, diversity of businesses and industries in the community, and purpose of the committee. Size may also vary over time to align with specific committee activities. Committees should be large enough to reflect the diversity of the community, yet small enough to be managed effectively. Committees with fewer than five members tend to be less effective as they may have limited perspectives, inadequate information on a number of target jobs, and too few employers  represented. Committees with more than 15 members can become unmanageable. Five to nine members are generally an adequate size for most committees.

Length of Service

To ensure continuity among committee members, each committee member should serve a standard term length, generally three years. These terms should be staggered, with one-third of the membership expiring each year. For a new committee, this may mean that initial appointments are assigned for one, two, or three years. As the initial appointments expire, subsequent members will serve the standard three-year term. Generally, committee members should not be appointed to successive terms to ensure the committee allows for new perspectives. In addition, former members should have at least a one-year absence before being eligible for reappointment.

***In rural areas this may not be possible

Specific Roles and Responsibilities

As committees are developed and conduct their ongoing business, members may be assigned specific roles and responsibilities that align with individual roles on the committee and within the community.

• Industry Representatives
  • Create and accomplish program of work
  • Support Career Technical Student Organizations, if applicable
• Role of Program Representative
  • Work with chair to schedule meetings and create agendas
  • Orient new committee members
  • Track progress for the program of work and assist industry representatives as needed
  • Communicate with CTE Program Quality Manager
• Role of Institution Administration
  • Invite and appoint new members
  • Publish press release naming new members
  • List technical advisory committees in institution publications

Selection of Members and Appointment Process

Committee members should be appointed using the guidelines outlined below and a standard selection process. Division representatives, instructors or faculty of the programs, and other staff may serve only in an ex-officio capacity.

• Develop a list of prospective members that include several key characteristics.
  • Representatives of:
    • Business/industry,
    • Local community (including Idaho Department of Labor representatives, if located in the community),
    • General geographic area to be served,
    • Programs at other schools, if applicable.
  • People who:
    • Have recent experience related to the program area,
    • Are available to attend TAC meetings,
    • Have an interest in education and the program.
• Once the list is compiled, interview prospective members. The interviews should:
  • Explain the nature of the committee,
  • Explain the prospective member’s role on the committee,
  • Describe the terms and length of service,
  • Gauge the prospective member’s level of interest in serving and determine to what extent his or her participation would benefit the program.
  • Send an invitation letter to the prospective new member