Students who choose to enroll in a training program often go through the same steps. I believe it’s important that I present these steps to you, as you might hear these words quite often!
Here are the typical steps in the student lifecycle:
Note that it can sometimes be a bit different, but this gives you an idea of the typical steps.
Now let's look at these steps one by one!
Orientation
Some students already know what they want to learn, but many need help or at least some information.
The orientation phase is here to make sure students will apply to the training program that best fits their ambition, skills and personal context.
Orientation is a complete process in itself. Some organizations are specialized in student orientation, as it is a critical step to choose the right training that fits you!
Application
Future students have to formally apply to their training program. They can’t just “show up” when it starts unannounced. 🙃
The application phase helps the school or university get the required information, for information to verify their identity and previous qualifications.
Very often, schools have to have some data about their students by law.
Admission
In the admission phase, the school checks that the candidate has the required prerequisites to participate in the training.
Some training programs are open to everyone, they practice what we call open admissions (meaning that everyone is accepted, there’s no real challenge 😛)
However, in many cases, there aren’t unlimited seats for a training program and the school/university will have to limit access. They usually want to admit only the best candidates. Sometimes, it’s required by law as some students shouldn’t enter a program if they haven’t got the required qualifications.
Having a tough admission process is sometimes a marketing argument for a famous university like Harvard – although this is at the expense of accessibility (people will think ”only 5% of candidates are admitted, therefore this training must be of high quality”).
Financial Aid (finaid)
Once candidates are admitted, some of them need to get some financial aid to be able to pay for their training. Not everyone can afford to pay a full training upfront!
There are many ways to get a training financed:
Through scholarships, given by the school directly (money can come from grants, wealthy alumni…)
Through jobseeking agencies
Through public regions
Through debt (with banks)
etc.
During this step, the school and the student make sure that the student will be able to finance their training. The school might help the student to fill the required paperwork.
Enrollment
This phase is about making the student effectively start their training. Everything has been checked (prerequisites through admissions, money through financial aid if necessary…).
The school has to set up the starting date of the training with the student, make sure they have all the required information and that they show up on the first day of training. They could start on their own or at the same time as their cohort/class if they are part of one.
Learning
This is the main phase, where students learn by following courses, practicing, etc.
They might go to courses at an amphitheater, follow an online course, talk with an expert during a mentoring session, etc.
This is how they start to build up their skills.
Assessment
Schools need to check that students really acquired new skills through learning. This happens through assessments, which could be an end of semester exam, a project to complete, etc.
Assessments prove that students got new skills or have the required knowledge.
Exam Board
The exam board is the “final assessment” before students are allowed to receive their degree. It happens at the very end of the training phase.
Students may have to provide a final project to defend in front of a board. In other cases, the board will look at what students have done throughout the year and validate it (this is called “continuous assessment”).
If the exam board is not satisfied, the student may have to do additional work or even to go through another year of training.
If the exam board is satisfied, the student will get their degree!
Career Services
After the training is complete, students may opt in to get help from the school to find a job through career services. The career services stage is a way for the school to help as many students as possible to land in the career they were looking for. Schools do this to get a better job placement rate that they can advertise to new candidates – but it can also be helpful for their own accreditation, as a better job placement rate is usually a sign that the school is delivering tangible impact to their students.
Career services most often handle alumni (former students). They maintain and animate the alumni network, making sure the right connections get made… and that new students get help to find a job thanks to former students.
