Vocational Education Program Consultant (1099)

DeVry University is evaluating opportunities to expand its workforce-aligned education portfolio and is seeking an experienced vocational education leader to advise Product, Strategy, and Academics. Initial work will focus on assessing the feasibility of a potential electrical technician/electrician-focused program and developing recommendations related to market demand, program design, delivery model, operating requirements, and financial viability. Subject to the outcome of the feasibility assessment and institutional approval, the engagement may extend into detailed program design and launch planning.

This is a hands-on advisory engagement for someone who has personally designed, launched, and scaled comparable programs and who understands both the academic architecture and operating economics of running one. The selected consultant will assess industry standards, licensure pathways, and employer demand and develop recommendations for a potential program designed to prepare graduates for relevant entry-level employment, apprenticeship opportunities, and, where applicable, future licensure requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Business Case and Market Validation

• Partner with Product and Strategy to develop the business case, including labor-market demand, wage outcomes, competitive landscape, potential physical lab investments, site considerations, enrollment potential, and unit economics.
• Distinguish clearly between validated market facts, working assumptions, and recommendations to support an informed leadership go/no-go decision.
• Advise on potential pricing, cohort sizing, delivery models, including hybrid lab and online theory, and the capital and staffing considerations associated with hands-on instruction.

Program and Curriculum Design

• Develop recommendations to inform a potential program's competency framework, course sequence, clock- or credit-hour structure, and lab and equipment requirements.
• Assess alignment with recognized industry standards, including the National Electrical Code (NEC/NFPA 70), NCCER Core and Electrical curricula, OSHA 10/30, and relevant state licensure and U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship requirements.
• Develop recommendations for potential articulation pathways into apprenticeships and journey-level opportunities, including opportunities associated with IBEW/NECA and other union or independent-contractor pathways, where applicable.

Industry and Employer Alignment

• Advise on the potential development of an employer or industry advisory board to help ensure program recommendations reflect current field practices and hiring needs.
• Develop recommendations for policies, processes, and outcome measures designed to assess alignment with applicable entry requirements for employment, apprenticeships, and state examinations.

Operational Readiness

• Advise Academics on potential faculty qualifications, instructor-to-student ratios for lab safety, equipment sourcing, and facilities or lab-partner models.
• Identify accreditation, state authorization, and program-approval considerations relevant to a potential skilled-trades diploma or degree program.
• Develop recommendations and an implementation roadmap to inform a potential program launch, subject to institutional review and approval.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated subject-matter expertise in the electrical trade.
• Direct experience designing, launching, and scaling vocational, CTE, or workforce programs at a higher education institution, community or technical college, trade school, or workforce-development organization.
• Working knowledge of NEC, NCCER, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship standards, and state electrical licensure structures.
• Business and operating fluency, with the ability to advise on program P&L, staffing models, equipment capital requirements, and enrollment economics in addition to instructional design.
• Track record of developing employer partnerships and apprenticeship or job-placement pathways.

Preferred Qualifications

• Licensed electrician, master electrician, or equivalent relevant industry credential.
• Prior experience as a program director, dean, or department leader in a trades or workforce setting.
• Experience with competency-based or clock-hour program models and accreditor or state-approval processes.
• Familiarity with hybrid lab-plus-online delivery models for hands-on trades.

Engagement Details

• Project-based consulting engagement structured around defined deliverables and project phases. Workload may vary based on project requirements and milestones
• Estimated 20–40 hours per week during the business-case and design phases, with workload varying based on project milestones, deliverables, and engagement needs..
• Defined deliverables by phase may include a business case, program blueprint, and potential launch plan, with established review gates.