Alamo Colleges wins 2023 National Bellwether Award for program excellence

The Bellwether College Consortium recently awarded the Alamo Colleges District a 2023 National Bellwether Award for its Off-Campus Work-Study Employment program. 

The program offers work-study-eligible students off-campus career-relevant employment through federal financial aid funding. Alamo Colleges District students are employed by non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, or private-sector employers. Students receive assistance in job selection, resume writing, and navigating the employment process, and are provided professional development through the Office of Workplace Learning. Wages are paid 100% by federal funds for students working at non-profit and governmental agencies, while private-sector employers contribute up to 50% of the student wages. 

The district won in the Planning, Governance, and Finance category, which recognizes programs or activities that improve efficiency and effectiveness in the community college. 

“We are incredibly proud and honored to be nationally recognized for our work on developing an effective Off-Campus Work-Study Employment program,” said Dr. Mike Flores, Alamo Colleges District Chancellor. “This award shows our dedication as a district to implement the most effective programs. In this case, we’re bringing experiential learning to students in a way that makes sense for their lives.” 

The award was given to outstanding and innovative programs in community college education at the 2023 Bellwether College Consortium Community College Futures Assembly in San Antonio.

Atlanta Technical College won in the Workforce Development category and Hudson County Community College won in the category of Instructional Programs and Services. A total of ten finalists representing 13 states and 24 community colleges were selected to compete as part of the rigorous award competition. All finalists were invited to present their program in a final round of competition among selected peer institutions.

The Community College Futures Assembly convenes annually as an independent national forum for innovators to work as a think tank. It identifies successful responses to critical issues facing the future of community colleges and hosts a national award competition among innovative colleges in the United States and its U.S. territories. 

The consortium is supported by Alamo Colleges District. To learn more about the Community College Futures Assembly, visit https://bellwethercollegeconsortium.com/community-college-futures-assembly/