Apprenticeship Program Researcher

Description:

Who We Are

Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology (Franklin Cummings Tech) is a private, non-profit, two-year technical college located in Boston. Founded in 1908, the college proudly continues a long tradition of educating students for high-demand technical careers in a variety of industries, including automotive, advanced manufacturing, computer technology, engineering, and construction management. With a mission to deliver transformative technical and trade education that leads to economic advancement, our unique mixture of 1, 2, and 4-year programs are delivered both in-person and on-line to appeal to student’s demand for flexible program delivery.

Our graduation and job placement rates are among the best in the nation among two-year colleges. Because of our impact and outcomes, Franklin Cummings Tech recently received the largest gift in its history: $12.5 million from the Cummings Foundation to continue to advance its leading-edge work in creating technical career pathways for students typically underrepresented in post-secondary education.

In FY23, Franklin Cummings Tech was the academic home to over 900 learners.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Chief Innovation Officer, the Apprenticeship Program Researcher will be part of a team of three to design the expansion of the college’s part-time apprenticeship program, where students work part-time while enrolled full-time in college. In these part-time jobs, students build invaluable work experience towards their major, develop key relationships, earn a competitive salary, and access tuition reimbursement. To expand the program, we aim to better understand specific job markets that our students enter. The Researcher will work independently to conduct interviews and gather market data, as well as work with the innovation team to turn the data into actionable strategies for a 2024 launch.

Responsibilities:

Conduct market research to answer questions about the job markets our graduates enter, including:

• How do specific industries (e.g. automotive) find their talent?
• What are the main sources of talent?
• Where are the jobs that our grads take in these specific industries? What is the commute time for these grads? What is
• the range of where we can engage employers?
• What are staff retention rates in each industry?
• How long do our graduates typically stay at their employers?
• Why do our graduates stay at a company, and why do they leave?
• What are the starting salaries and job titles, and how much variance is there?
• How quickly do employees typically advance, and to what jobs and pay levels?
• What is the competition for entry-level jobs in these industries?

Market research includes:

• Internal data (interviews with and surveys of graduates)
• Market research (industry reports, market data, trade articles)
• Interviews with talent brokers (our faculty, workforce investment boards, staffing agencies, voc-tech schools, other technical colleges)

Collaborate with the college’s innovation team to turn the research into strategies for expanding the college’s part-time apprenticeship program

Requirements:

• Strong research skills: resourceful, dogged, and detail-oriented
• Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills
• Self-starting: able to work independently
• Strong analytical skills: able to find patterns in the data and apply those patterns into actionable strategies
• Passionate about creating new career opportunities for Opportunity Youth

Hours and Benefits:

• Earn $30 an hour for 15 hours a week from mid-September to mid-December
• Work from home and choose your hours
• Be a change agent; we will apply directly the work of the researcher to launch a new service in 2024 for Opportunity Youth

Application Process:

Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and the names, titles, telephone numbers, and email addresses of two professional references. Review of applications will begin immediately.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement:

Franklin Cummings Tech is committed to the health and safety of our community. We closely follow all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of the expiration of the national emergency concerning the COVID-19 pandemic on May 11, 2023, Franklin Cummings Tech strongly encourages, but not does require, all students, faculty, and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Requirements are subject to change based on guidelines set forth by local governments and other entities of authority based on an uptick in the number of cases.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

FCT is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any applicant or employee on any grounds protected under federal, state, or local law, including race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, national origin, ancestry, marital status, pregnancy, disability (including those related to pregnancy or childbirth), sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or expression, veteran status or any other characteristic or activity protected under federal, state or local law.