Education and industry leaders unite to launch Talent Development Network

Larry K. Williams, president and CEO of The Beacon Council; Matt Haggman, program director for The Knight Foundation and co-chair of One Community One Goal; Mark B. Rosenberg, FIU president and chair of the Academic Leaders Council; Donna Abood, managing director, Avison Young and chair of The Beacon Council; and Nelson Lazo, CEO of Doctors Hospital and co-chair of One Community One Goal announce launch of the Talent Development Network.

Hoping to stop the “brain drain” that leads talented young people to leave South Florida, academic and business leaders have united to create a regional internship program that will link university, college and high school students with opportunities in high-growth industries.

FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg joined leaders of six other educational institutions and the Beacon Council, Miami’s economic development agency, to unveil the Talent Development Network (TDN) –with seed funding from the Miami Foundation– which will create 200 new paid internships over the next two years.

“This is about preserving and expanding Miami’s intellectual capital,’’ Rosenberg said. “We’ve heard that students are not prepared. It is our shared responsibility and our shared opportunity to move the needle on student retention, graduation and job placement.’’

Research shows why internships – particularly paid internships – are so critical to student success.

More than 60 percent of paid interns received at least one job offer after graduation, while only 37 percent of unpaid interns got an offer. The median starting salary for new grads with paid internship experience is $51,930—far outdistancing their counterparts with an unpaid internship earning a median salary of $35,721.

Beyond creating internships, TDN will also assist students at no charge with their resumes and interview skills, through an agreement with CareerSource South Florida.

“No one in the country is doing what we are doing here in Miami,’’ said Larry Williams, president of the Beacon Council. “When companies expand, talent is the number one thing they look for. We need to be prepared to meet those needs.’’

TDN is a product of the Academic Leaders Council, a collaboration between Miami-Dade County’s educational institutions to build a globally competitive education system aligned with the county’s economic development needs.  The council, chaired by Rosenberg, was created as part of the Beacon Council’s One Community One Goal initiative, a strategic plan to improve the local economy.

Like the One Community One Goal initiative, TDN will focus on seven high-growth industries – aviation, banking and finance, creative design, hospitality and tourism, information technology, life sciences and health care, and trade and logistics.

Already, 14 companies have stepped up to create internships through the program, including American Airlines, Baptist Health South Florida, Dosal Tobacco Corp. and the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Rosenberg stressed that it is critical that the business community support the effort. He invited employers to visit the TDN website at tdnmiami.com to register and post new internships.

“Clearly this is a work in progress but today is a first step,’’ he said. “Our intent is to start with the first cohort of student interns this summer.’’

While the initial goal is 200 new internships over the next two years, Matt Haggman, program director for the Knight Foundation and co-chair of One Community One Goal, said he expects the effort to go well beyond that.

“Where we’re starting today is not where we’ll end up,’’ he said.

Initial funding for TDN was provided by the Miami Foundation, Helios Education Foundation, the Peacock Foundation and the Shaffer Family.

Participating institutions include FIU, Barry University, Florida Memorial University, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami Dade College, St. Thomas University and the University of Miami.

Williams, of the Beacon Council, said he believes the rest of the country will soon be looking to Miami for best practices in talent preparation and retention.

“We need to keep the momentum going and tell the world, “Miami is open for business and we have the right talent,” he said.

To learn more or register your company, visit tdnmiami.com or call Steven Rojas-Tallon at 305-348-3151.