The Albany Area Chamber Foundation Thursday hosted its inaugural and highly successful THRIVE program, a dynamic talent development initiative aimed at preparing students for the professional world. THRIVE empowers students with a range of employability skills crucial for success in the workplace. Through engaging sessions and interactive activities, students gain insights into effective communication, networking and professional growth.

For the Thursday event, held at Albany Technical College, the Albany Area Chamber Foundation partnered with the Dougherty County School System and local employers to present skills training, business connections and local opportunities to students with disabilities who will seek employment after graduation.

“The No. 1 growth inhibitor for our employers is talent – work force – and it’s a challenge faced by employers across the country. In Albany, the business community is working closely with our educational partners to design a modern, adaptive talent pipeline that is sustainable and relevant to our marketplace,” said Barbara Rivera Holmes, president & CEO of the Albany Area Chamber and the Albany Area Chamber Foundation. “Through programs such as THRIVE, we’re in the schools working one-on-one with students on the key employability skills that the workplace demands and connecting students to local employers. We want all members of our community to have opportunities to thrive.”

The Chamber Foundation, the 501©3 affiliate of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, leads the community’s comprehensive work force efforts via the Albany-Dougherty Talent Strategy 2.0, a public-private effort in which strategic partners, employers and educators participate. Other Chamber Foundation talent development programs include PROPEL+, targeted at female high school students, and implementation of the U.S. Chamber’s Talent Pipeline Management framework. The Chamber Foundation’s efforts amplify the primary business organization’s programs in the areas of talent and innovation and are a direct response to employer and community needs.

“There’s significant demand for this programming – we hear it from the students, from the educators and from the employers,” Holmes said. “We're encouraged by feedback from the students and our partners about the impact of our work force programs and look forward to scaling this work to continue building our community’s talent infrastructure.” Representatives from Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, the Albany Area YMCA and Albany Technical College participated in Thursday’s program, sharing with students the diversity of available jobs at their organizations, the skills required for those jobs and training pathways to obtain those skills.

During THRIVE students practiced their public speaking skills through mock interviews with volunteers from businesses who offered valuable feedback and guidance to the students. While students were taking turns participating in the one-on-interviews, other students were practicing networking with peers and adults as they answered ice-breaker prompts facilitated by community volunteers.

The program also featured a unique segment highlighting appropriate professional attire where business community members served as models, showcasing the “DOs” and “DON’Ts” of dressing for success in the workplace.

“This event will help these students have more confidence, flexibility and adaptability with individuals that they don’t know in speaking with them and sharing information about themselves,” said Gordina Porter, director of the Exceptional Students Program (ESP) at the Dougherty County School System. “It was a great event.”