The Company Lab and Covenant College are joining forces to host the first-ever Chattanooga Connection Program (CXP) internship workshop for Chattanooga-area businesses. This will take place on Nov. 4 from noon until 4:30 p.m. at The United Way’s Community Room in downtown Chattanooga. Lunch will be provided.
Those interested in attending can RSVP at www.colab.is/CXP.
This workshop is to help businesses develop a functional, focused, and value-added internship. "An intern's role in an organization can be as mysterious to a manager as it is to the new intern," says the Company Lab's CXP Director Joe Ellis. "Our mission is to help local startups and small businesses by offering information on how they can tap into and utilize the amazing amount of talented students we have in Chattanooga."
David Cofer of Cofer Consulting will lead the workshop. Mr. Cofer specializes in junior talent management solutions with a focus on attracting, developing and retaining young professionals. Anthony Tucker, Covenant College’s director of their Center for Calling & Career, has attended one of Mr. Cofer’s seminars. Mr. Tucker said, “I’ve been thinking of ways to get him to Chattanooga ever since attending that seminar almost 18 months ago.”
He describes his workshop as a “roll-up your sleeves and get-to-work” type of session. This is meant to address the concerns associated with the day-to-day management of interns, scheduling and ensuring an effective transition from one intern to the next or from intern to full-time staffer, etc.
Employers in attendance will have the opportunity to work on two things. One, work to draft well-crafted intern position descriptions. These position descriptions will be crafted in direct response to the business needs the attendees have identified. Two, employers will have the opportunity to begin work on an intern work plan and/or other related planning and intern management documents. They will be encouraged to bring their laptops, notepads, etc.
Mr. Tucker deals with interns and employers on a daily basis. He says, “Most smaller employers don’t have robust internship programs. That’s not because they don’t need the help, it’s because they aren’t sure how to effectively utilize interns. Mr. Cofer specializes in helping organizations navigate this.”
Attendees can RSVP early at www.colab.is/cxp. Those who take advantage of early registration pay $50 for the first attendee from a business and $35 for up to two additional attendees. The deadline for early registration is Oct. 21. After that, the fees are $55 and $40. Payments can be submitted online or at the door.
For more information contact Joe Ellis at 463-0086 or by e-mail at Joe@colab.is