Talent Action Collaborative | Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC)

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY: High School Internships

As part of our strategic plan, BRAC is committed to building a seamless talent pipeline and promoting career awareness. The Talent Action Collaborative has embarked on a goal of securing 1,000 internships for our rising high school seniors, with a mission of addressing the disconnect between workforce and education. Internships benefit students' career growth and development and benefit employers. Not only does this opportunity allow employers to prepare students to become the region's future business and industry leaders, but it also offers a learning opportunity for the employers.

BRAC will host a series of information sessions. Please email tac@brac.org to be included.

The Talent Action Collaborative (TAC) is a partnership between BRAC and East Baton Rouge Parish Schools designed to align K-12 education with the needs of business and industry. This initiative allows business and industry to steer education to the specific industry needs while training their future employees and ensuring Louisiana’s talent retention. The network aims to close the disconnect between workforce and education by being business-led, industry-specific, and solution-oriented.

We have identified five high-wage, high-demand sectors:

construction and manufacturing
med and pre-med
liberal arts and management

technology
transportation, automotive, and logistics

We targeted industry and education titans for each of those areas to join this three-tier task force: CEOs for Education, Strategic Operations Team, and the Five Commissions.

CEOs for Education

25 top area CEOs and executives representing this cross-section of sectors will convene quarterly with the Superintendent of East Baton Rouge Parish Schools, Louisiana State Superintendent of Education, Commissioner of Higher Education, college chancellors, and university presidents to identify opportunities in talent pipeline to design systems and advocate for future workforce needs. The group guides executive-level strategy, reviews education performance, and advocates for legislative and policy changes. As part of the CEOs for Education membership, each CEO designates a representative to the Strategic Operations Committee.

Strategic Operations Committee

The Strategic Operations Committee is what we affectionately describe as “the implementers.” The committee is comprised of designees from the CEOs for Education specializing in workforce development and career training, including human resources managers, talent recruiters, provosts, and heads of workforce development. They will meet monthly to guide career pathways, programming, key performance indicators, and partnerships. This group aims to innovate and implement curriculum design, programs, and outcomes based on commission recommendations, with a future-focused vision from CEOs. The committee will interface on implementation with education senior staff, including prominent members of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System such as the chief academic officer, assistant superintendent of curriculum, and executive director at EBR Career and Technical Education Center.

The Five Commissions

15 to 20 experts in each of the five sectors will be recruited to guide the needs of each industry’s future workforce programs. These experts have backgrounds in human resources, workforce training and development, and career training. Each month, the commissions will meet to influence, create and change career education programs for K-12 and higher education, specific to their industry’s needs. Each commission will guide the creation of sector-specific career pathways, soft skills programs, and workplace experiential learning or internships, aligned with colleges and universities.

impact

STUDENTS WILL
- Gain in-depth career exposure through job shadowing and internships
- Earn an industry-based credential and/or an associate degree
- Build a professional network through industry-specific mentorship
- Minimize student debt through dual enrollment and paid apprenticeships

Businesses will
- Redesign the current workforce model
- Advocate for policy and legislative changes
- Train future employees to succeed in their chosen industry

MEMBERSHIP

Joining the Talent Action Collaborative is based on investor level and invitations from business leaders already a part of the group. For more information, please email Tonnisha Ellis at tonnisha@brac.org.