Years: 2009-2010
Talent Lives Here 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. The idea was that this would enhance a sense of place for students and graduates through cultural and social ties to the greater Tallahassee community.
TLH’s main goals were to:
- 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
Talent Lives Here created the Employer Internship Toolkit – TLH discovered a link between students who interned in Tallahassee during their college careers and recent graduates who now reside in Tallahassee. Therefore, TLH sought 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 hoped students will make connections, gain experience and discover all the reasons to make Tallahassee their home.
“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 believed 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.
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 promoted Tallahassee and the surrounding areas by cultivating relationships with individuals and groups who would formally, and informally, serve as ambassadors for Tallahassee. Driven by ambassadors (community members who LOVE Tallahassee), TLH planned to implement a campaign promoting everything Tallahassee has to offer.
Community Catalysts
These are the people who helped make this project possible.
- Jovita Bakker
- John Fleming
- Rod Lipscomb
- Julie Lovelace
- Bruce Sipple
- William Smith
- Allie VanLandingham
- Valerie Wickboldt
- Kawana Williams