Since 2023, HCK2 has partnered with Ancora Education to build awareness for its programs and campuses while helping reshape perceptions of skilled trades and career education.

In 2025, we built on that foundation with an expanded national media relations program that elevated Ancora’s visibility, increased the cadence of coverage and positioned the organization as a leading voice in workforce development, skilled trades education and career training.

The Challenge

With campuses, programs and students across the country, Ancora’s story is both national and deeply local. The challenge was to create a consistent national narrative while uncovering compelling stories in individual markets that could demonstrate the real-world impact of career and technical education.

At the same time, the program needed to address persistent perceptions surrounding trade schools and elevate the conversation around skilled careers, workforce needs and alternative pathways to successful careers.

The Solution

HCK2 developed an always-on media relations strategy combining national thought leadership with localized storytelling across Ancora’s markets.

Throughout 2025, we maintained a steady drumbeat of news through strategic announcements, expert commentary, campus milestones, student and program stories, community events and timely conversations around workforce development and the skilled trades.

The program included strategic press releases and targeted media alerts, supported by proactive pitching to national, local and trade media, podcasts and other industry outlets. Localized event outreach also secured 62 separate event listings, helping individual campuses build awareness and engagement within their communities.

This combination allowed HCK2 to tell the broader Ancora story while continually finding new ways to make it relevant to the communities its campuses serve.

SME Thought Leadership

The Results

In 2025, HCK2 secured 56 earned media placements with a potential reach of more than 336 million, significantly expanding Ancora’s national visibility while maintaining a strong presence in key local markets.

Coverage spanned national news, local media, trade publications and podcasts, including U.S. News & World Report, along with outlets such as Rio Grande Guardian, Texas Border Business and Tulsa Beacon.

Through sustained, strategic storytelling, HCK2 helped establish Ancora as a go-to resource for conversations around workforce development, skilled trades and career education while continuing to elevate the students, programs and communities at the heart of its mission.