TFS Results is proud to present a case study on the success of our enrollment and retention strategic planning client, Mid-East Career and Technology Centers located in Zanesville and Senecaville, OH. Since partnering with TFS in 2017, Mid-East CTC has experienced:

  • The highest enrollment on record in the past 15 years
  • A significant increase in market share despite a dwindling prospect pool
  • A notable improvement in the caliber of new students recruited using TFS strategies
  • Improved retention rates
  • A more unified and focused staff with increasingly positive team morale

In addition to TFS’s enrollment and retention strategic planning, Mid-East CTC also uses the TFS Career Tree®, marketing materials, and other TFS strategies and products.

Enrolling More Students

This past school year, Mid-East CTC experienced its highest enrollment on record in the last 15 years, enrolling approximately 1,070 students. Mid-East CTC’s Assistant Superintendent Jeremy Beardmore explains, “The numbers below don’t include sophomores in our career connections program, which is why it says 998, but it was included to show the trend over the last 3 years. We started working with Mark in the summer after 2016–17 school year.”

Mid-East CTC’s market share has also been positively affected. Beardmore says, “Since working with Mark we’ve seen a steady increase in our market share as well, which is the percentage of students enrolling with us from our partner schools.”

These increases have come despite a dwindling number of prospects at Mid-East CTC’s partner schools. Beardmore states, “Over the last 5 years, we’ve seen an increase of over 4% in enrollment, while the pool of students we’re pulling from at our partner schools has declined over 3%.”

Grade 11 & 12 Enrollment % change
Mid-East CTC 4.28%
Partner Schools -3.20%

Right Students, Right Programs, Right Reasons

The goal of any TFS-client partnership is not merely numerical increases in enrollment. One of the objectives that TFS presents each new client team is to enroll more of the right students, in the right programs, for the right reasons. “Right students” are students who are excited to attend, motivated to learn, and committed to completing their program of study.

This goal is being met at Mid-East CTC. Beardmore says, “We see a noticeable different in our new students that were recruited with our new strategies…I would say right now our Junior class was the first group to experience all the new changes, and this group of students is phenomenal across the board.”

Retaining More Right Students

Retention is another area in which TFS has assisted Mid-East CTC’s progress. During the 2018–19 school year, only 3.6% of Mid-East’s student population failed to complete the year. Beardmore says, “This shows great progress for retention.”

Year Retention Rate
2016-17 5.69%
2017-18 4.57%
2018-19 3.6%

Working with Mark Perna and TFS

Beardmore shared some insights regarding the difference that TFS is empowering his team to make at Mid-East CTC. “Mark is great to work with, and his passion and drive to implement change in CTE is very evident when you talk to him. He has helped our district achieve a single mindset that drives everything we do…I will say that he himself isn’t a magic pill (no offense to Mark) but he will provide you and a team with the tools needed to make a difference.”

Mark has also been able to positively influence staff morale at Mid-East CTC. “Beyond the impact we’ve seen with enrollment and retention, we feel that our staff has more of a common focus…What I’m trying to say is you need to have a team of rock stars willing to instill change from within and not try to implement the change with a top-down approach,” Beardmore says.

We want to thank Jeremy Beardmore and Mid-East CTC for taking the time to share their experience partnering with TFS. Together, we are excited to tackle the coming school year and empower Mid-East CTC to make even greater strides toward their enrollment and retention goals.

About Mark C. Perna and TFS

TFS, whose mission is to share and support its clients’ passion for making a difference, is a full-service strategic consulting firm founded by national workforce development expert Mark C. Perna. Mark, a noted author on Generations Y and Z, has many years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies and has devoted his career to education and workforce training. At TFS, Mark heads an energetic team of talented professionals who share his vision of making a bigger difference, working with educators and employers of all sizes nationwide to deliver significant gains in recruitment, retention, and performance rates.

About Mid-East Career and Technology Centers

Mid-East Career and Technology Centers is a multi-campus educational organization serving high school students, adult learners, preschool students, and business & industry partners. By integrating strong academics with robust career-minded education, Mid-East CTC students expand their options and opportunities to succeed in today’s global economy. With two campuses serving 13 districts across four counties, Mid-East CTC offers 30 in-demand CTE programs and eight full-time and multiple part-time adult education programs.