Strategic Proposal — For Discussion

Recruitment Mix
5-Year Shift Model

A simplified two-bucket framework to progressively grow direct recruitment and reduce agent dependency — 10 percentage points per year, measured simply.

Two buckets: Agent vs Direct 10% annual shift 18 February 2026

The proposal: simplify tracking to two categories and commit to a clear trajectory

Instead of splitting recruitment into three buckets (agent / direct / other), we collapse everything that isn't an agent into "Direct" — walk-ins, phone calls, referrals, organic search, paid campaigns, community outreach, progression. One number to track, one number to grow. Then we shift the balance by 10 percentage points per year over five years, moving from 60/40 to 20/80.

01

Where We Are Now

68.1%
Current Agent Share
31.9%
Current Direct + Other
637
Students Analysed

Year 1 starting position

The data shows MRC is already at 68% agent / 32% direct+other. The Year 1 target of 60/40 requires only an 8-point shift — equivalent to approximately 20 additional direct HND enrolments per intake, growing from 35 to around 55.

02

Two Buckets, Not Three

🤝
Agent
60%
Any student recruited via an agent. Clear, binary, already tracked in your systems. If an agent referred them, they go here. No ambiguity.
🎯
Direct
40%
Everything else. Google organic, paid ads, walk-ins, phone calls, referrals, community events, BNU progression, social media — all lumped together. If MRC brought them in, MRC owns it.
01

Simple to Measure

One question: "Did an agent refer this student?" Yes = Agent. No = Direct. No complex attribution needed.

02

One KPI to Own

Leadership, marketing, and admissions all rally around one number: the direct percentage. Clear accountability, clear progress.

Sub-source tracking is optional enrichment, not a requirement

Within the "Direct" bucket, a simple "How did you hear about us?" dropdown in HubSpot can tag walk-ins, phone, Google, social, referral, etc. This gives you insight into what's working inside the direct bucket — but the headline KPI stays simple: Agent vs Direct.

03

The 5-Year Glide Path

Recruitment Mix Trajectory

10-point annual shift
Year Agent Direct Visual Split
TodayBaseline Based on 637-student analysis 68% 32%
68%
32%
Year 1Start 2026–27 intake cycles 60% 40%
60%
40%
Year 2 2027–28 intake cycles 50% 50%
50%
50%
Year 3 2028–29 intake cycles 40% 60%
40%
60%
Year 4 2029–30 intake cycles 30% 70%
30%
70%
Year 5Vision 2030–31 intake cycles 20% 80%
20%
80%

Not cutting agents — growing direct

If total enrolment grows (which Level 3 courses and improved direct marketing should support), agent numbers can remain stable or even grow while the direct percentage increases. This is about building a second engine so the college controls its own growth.

04

What This Replaces

📊
Old: 60 / 30 / 10
Three buckets required separately tracking and attributing walk-ins, referrals, and community outreach as a distinct category. More complexity, more room for inconsistency.
✓
New: 60 / 40
Two buckets. Binary classification. Agent or not-agent. Measurable today with existing systems. Sub-source tagging in HubSpot provides insight without requiring attribution infrastructure.

Decision Required

Do we adopt the simplified 60/40 two-bucket model with a 10-point annual shift over five years?

Option A — Adopt 60/40 Model

Two buckets, 5-year glide path, measured at portfolio level after each intake cycle. Strategy documents updated accordingly.

Option B — Retain 60/30/10 Model

Three buckets maintained. Requires investment in attribution systems (phone tracking, walk-in logging) to measure the "other" category separately.