Talent Lives Here is focused on connecting talented college and university students and graduates with local employers in an effort to create job opportunities for them to establish long-term employment and enhance community relationships in the capital region. This will enhance a sense of place for students and graduates through cultural and social ties to the greater Tallahassee community.
About Talent Lives Here
Expand, Enlighten and Engage
TLH’s main goals:
- Expand internship opportunities for interested students by working with private and public employers
- Enlighten current college students and recent graduates living in the Tallahassee area about all the Capital City and its surrounding areas have to offer
- Engage current college students and recent graduates in organizations, activities and other opportunities the Capital City and its surrounding areas have to offer
TLH’s strategic plans:
TLH Employer Internship Toolkit – TLH has discovered a link between students who interned in Tallahassee during their college careers and recent graduates who now reside in Tallahassee. Therefore, TLH seeks to improve the quality and quantity of internship experiences in the community by working with the higher education institutions and interested private and public employers with its Employer Internship Toolkit. The toolkit is available online at http://accesstallahassee.com/jobs/internships/.
This toolkit contains a comprehensive guide for attracting, interviewing, hiring and managing interns. TLH has partnered with the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, FSU, FAMU and TCC to promote the toolkit as a resource for local organizations to create or improve internship programs. Through expanded opportunities for internships, TLH hopes students will make connections, gain experience and discover all the reasons to make Tallahassee their home.
For more information about the TLH Employer Toolkit, view the press release.
“Power Center” Internships – As Florida’s capital city, Tallahassee is home to not only the Governor, the State Legislature and the Florida Supreme Court, but also 35 separate state agencies which employ thousands of Tallahassee residents. TLH believes the opportunity to participate in the process and implementation of public policy decisions is a powerful tool for differentiating Tallahassee from other Florida cities competing for young professionals.
Currently, the Florida Gubernatorial Fellows Program places approximately 12 graduate students in agency internships each year. The Executive Director of the program has expressed interest in working with TLH to expand the program to include undergraduates, and to increase the number of participating agencies. TLH plans to work with the Governor’s office to expand the current Gubernatorial Fellows Program, with an initial goal of doubling the number of students placed in agency internships. TLH will also work with other governmental entities in the Tallahassee area to implement similar internship programs.
Enlightenment and Engagement – Through various research methods, TLH discovered that students who connect with groups who are actively engaged in Tallahassee community events tend to stay in the Capital City area after graduation. TLH plans to promote Tallahassee and the surrounding areas by cultivating relationships with individuals and groups who will formally, and informally, serve as ambassadors for Tallahassee. Driven by ambassadors (community members who LOVE Tallahassee), TLH plans to implement a campaign promoting everything Tallahassee has to offer.
How you can help: We need you! If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering with us, please e-mail William Smith at Smith.William@ccbg.com or Jovita Bakker at vitabakker@gmail.com. We can always use forward-thinkers with new ideas to help TLH with their goal to expand, enlighten and engage!
Catalysts: Jovita Bakker, William Smith, John Fleming, Rod Lipscomb, Julie Lovelace, Marty Sipple, Allie VanLandingham, Valerie Wickboldt, Kawana Williams