The Building Pathways To Innovation (PTI) Through Strategic Employer Engagement (DUE 2039395) project builds on the ATE-supported Business & Industry Leadership Team (BILT) model, a proven method for strategic employer engagement developed by the National Convergence Technology Center. Colleges involved in PTI develop employer partnerships that yield workforce intelligence that facilitates continuous program improvement and innovation.

What’s So Unique About the BILT?

The frequency, specificity, and depth of business input, coupled with an industry-led governance structure, sets the BILT model apart. BILTs embrace the notion that employer engagement is not an event, but a process built on trusted relationships between colleges and companies. BILTs leverage the sector knowledge of employers and teaching expertise of faculty to foster powerful collaborations that ensure program curriculum meets the needs of business and students are workforce ready.

Through cohort-focused technical assistance leveraging ATE’s capacity-building resources and the BILT model, PTI fosters a culture of innovation co-led by employers and college faculty through two complementary initiatives: BILT Academy and the Grant-Seeker Academy.