‘Talent Lives Here Toolkit’ helps promote internships at local firms
Tallahassee Democrat –By Elizabeth M. Mack
August 12, 2010
To help keep students in the community after graduation, the Knight Creative Communities Initiative, Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, universities and community college have joined forces to create a internship manual for local employers.
The project is called Talent Lives Here, part of KCCI’s 2009-10 Catalyst Class efforts where volunteers work to address various issues relating to the local economy.
The manual, “Talent Lives Here Employer Internship Toolkit,” is a 24-page online guide that includes sample evaluation forms, interview questions, time sheets and other essentials.
Allie VanLandingham, KCCI community catalyst and TLH volunteer, said research shows that four times more students stay in Tallahassee if they have a local internship.
“In conversations with staff from FSU, FAMU and TCC, we found that their students prefer more local choices for internships,” VanLandingham said. “We recognized an opportunity to aid local organizations in creating these valuable internship programs where they can begin to recruit local talent.”
Some local firms make internships a priority.
“There is an abundance of talent within the institutions of higher learning in North Florida,” said Blake Dowling, director of sales at Aegis Business Technologies, one of the first partners in the TLH initiative. “We take advantage of this talent and in turn, help a young student get on the right path with their career in technology or business. This initiative streamlines the internship process for the private sector and will be a great resource to all businesses in our community.”
To view the toolkit visit, http://accesstallahassee.com/jobs/internships/.