Student Attraction and Marketing Strategies in a Technical National Institute: A Brazilian Case Study

Abstract

Purpose: This case study analyzes how management strategies for higher technical-vocational education are used to attract students, based on institutional marketing, and how they were put into practice in the MarketIFPI project of the FIPI-Campus Oeiras. Method: This descriptive and interpretative investigation used participant observation, analysis of documents and field notes. Results and Discussion: The main results indicate that the organizational culture, the involvement of the project team and the financial investment for institutional dissemination represented the main key points for the success of the project. Research Implications: Actions that promote the interaction of potential students with the institution tend to generate a greater increase in the number of requests. Paradoxically, actions that involve a lot of effort on the part of civil servants tend to generate less commitment from them. In addition, the less the implementation of command-and-control mechanisms for employee performance, the less will be their involvement. Originality/Value: This research provide important practical contributions for higher education institutions, especially public and campuses located in the interior, to develop and implement effective strategies for attracting new students and establish mechanisms for the management of institutional projects that keep their campuses competitive and do not impede the offering of their courses.