Strengthening Workforce Skills Project Assistant - Grant Funded

Harper College; Palatine (IL); On-site; USD 22,000 - 34,000; Part time

Job summary

Harper College in Palatine and nearby campuses seeks a part-time office support specialist to provide timely program information to students and handle inquiries by phone, email, or in person. Travel to district locations may be required.

You will support NSAW grant outreach, enrollment, scholarship processing, data entry for reporting, and retention efforts for diverse students. Some evenings and weekends may be required. Training on Canva and communications tools is provided.

Qualifications

• Education: Associate's degree or equivalent experience required.
• Experience: minimum of two years providing office support.
• Experience in adult or continuing education preferred.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Bilingual proficiency preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide program information to students in a timely manner.
• Support NSAW grant outreach, enrollment, and data reporting.
• Maintain scholarship application forms and apply funds to student accounts.
• Offer retention support, including barrier assessment and referrals.
• Develop outreach materials and collaborate with the Web Team on digital content.
• Represent CE at events and community activities, including some evenings and weekends.

Skills

Bilingual proficiency

Microsoft Word

Excel

Outlook

PowerPoint

SharePoint

Teams

Webex

FormStack

Banner

Education

Associate's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Characteristic Duties

Provides program information to students in a timely manner. Inquiries and referrals may be received by phone, email, and person at Harper’s Palatine, Schaumburg, Mount Prospect, and Hanover Park locations. Includes travel or remote participation in local community events in the Harper College district. Meetings with students will be done as needed in-person, virtually using Webex or MS Teams, or via telephone.

Overview

Characteristic Duties

Provides program information to students in a timely manner. Inquiries and referrals may be received by phone, email, and person at Harper’s Palatine, Schaumburg, Mount Prospect, and Hanover Park locations. Includes travel or remote participation in local community events in the Harper College district. Meetings with students will be done as needed in-person, virtually using Webex or MS Teams, or via telephone.
Stays current on all noncredit and customized training programs offered by the NSAW grant and related credit pathways leading to certificates or degrees at Harper College.
Supports outreach and enrollment efforts for NSAW initiatives, including digital literacy, healthcare, business, AI-related training, and sector-based pathway programs.
Maintains the scholarship application form and process, applying funds to student accounts in a timely manner, and ensuring accuracy when enrolling students in classes.
Provides ongoing retention support to students, including barrier assessment, referrals to support services, and proactive follow-up to promote program completion.
Provides support to students from diverse linguistic, cultural, and educational backgrounds using culturally responsive communication.
Collects and inputs required data for grant performance reporting, including enrollment, completion, credential attainment, and employment outcomes. Ensures accuracy and completeness of NSAW data in compliance with ICCB reporting and audit standards.
Conducts required student and customized training client follow-up at multiple intervals to document employment, promotions, or transition into additional education.
Ensures course listings are accurate and current.
Develops and updates outreach materials, including email and text messages, flyers and brochures in Canva, social media posts, and collaborating with the Web Team to update website content and online forms.
Represents CE at events, meetings, and community activities to promote programs and recruit students (some evening and weekend participation required).
Follows privacy and confidentiality guidelines with student information.
Coordinates book inventory, supplies, and equipment, ensuring materials are purchased, stored securely, and available to students and/or instructors as needed.
Performs related duties as assigned.

Working Conditions

Work is primarily indoors and sedentary in nature. This position is part-time, 23-29 hours per week. The work hours will be flexible, Monday through Friday, between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm; some evenings and Saturdays will be required. The primary job location is the Harper Schaumburg Center with occasional travel to Harper Palatine and Harper Prospect Heights locations.
This position is funded by the Illinois Community College Board and the grant will end by Dec. 31, 2027.

Equipment/Tools Used

Utilized standard office equipment. Software used includes Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams, Webex, FormStack, and Banner and event-scheduling tools.

Supervision

Under the general supervision of the Manager of Career and Customized Training in Community Education, receives instructions as needed for specific assignments.

Minimum Acceptable Qualifications

Education: Associate's degree or equivalent experience required.
Experience: A minimum of two years of experience providing office support. Experience in adult or continuing education preferred. Advanced skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook. Experience and enthusiasm for working with students from diverse backgrounds and varying academic experience levels. Bilingual proficiency preferred.