Career Development Center Director Co-Chairs Chamber Committee
Chris Pepple |
Lisa Shacklett, director of Lipscomb University’s Career Development Center, will be co-chairing the College Graduate Retention Taskforce for the Nashville Chamber of Commerce along with Renee Bradford, human resources site leader with Dell, Inc. Shacklett will represent the area universities as the Chamber looks to retain more college graduates in the area.
“The Chamber has reported that 60% of the college students stay in the Nashville area after graduation,” states Shacklett. “The Chamber wants this number to grow. I proposed that the Chamber help to get students involved with Nashville businesses and organizations earlier in their college studies by involving the students in internships in the area. The idea has grown, and now I have the opportunity to serve Lipscomb and our larger community through this taskforce.”
The goal of the committee will be to create a product to serve as an internship package for area businesses and organizations. The package will include contact information for all area colleges and details on how to create an internship program to meet the needs of the business and the student.
“Many businesses have never designed an internship program and are unclear on how to structure it,” states Shacklett. “This package will give business leaders basic information such as when semesters run, what an internship is and what an internship isn’t. When completed, this Chamber resource will be available upon request and will hopefully make more internships available to college students in the Nashville area.”