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The Fellowship for Education & Talent Development annually selects 20 chamber of commerce executives and senior staff to participate in a ten-month professional development program designed to assist them in improving education and talent development outcomes in their communities.
Through interaction with chamber peers, ACCE staff and national experts, participants expand their professional network and build a support system to guide their education and talent development work, now and into the future. The fellowship is a deep dive into the cutting edge theories, approaches and best practices in the talent development space, through a combination of in-person meetings, expert consultations and peer engagement. Throughout the program, fellows develop and execute a plan for specific education and talent development objectives. For more information about the Fellowship, contact Amy Shields at ashields@acce.org or Edgar Castillo at ecastillo@acce.org.
To meet past fellows, use the links below:
We have shifted the focus of this year's Fellowship offering to address economic recovery. Please visit our Fellowship for Economic Recovery page for more information.
Q: If accepted to the fellowship, is there a cost to participate?
A: Upon acceptance to the program, fellows’ chambers pay a $1,000 commitment deposit, which is refundable upon completion of the program. ACCE provides a travel reimbursement of up to $500 for each in-person meeting. The hotel room costs and all meals during the meeting are covered by ACCE.
Q: What are the expectations for participating in the fellowship?
A: Successful fellows make a commitment to dedicate time to the program. On average, fellows should expect to spend about five hours per month on the program in addition to the time preparing for and attending in-person meetings. During the program, fellows will attend two in-person sessions. Fellows are also expected to participate in a 90-minute webinar and one peer call each month. Each fellow will host one peer call during the Fellowship to share a successful practice or solicit feedback on a challenge. Lastly, all fellows are asked to submit a final summary of plans for future education and talent development efforts and key takeaways from the Fellowship program in order to receive their deposit refund.
Q: What do you look for in an applicant?
A: The ideal applicant has a passion for improving education and talent development outcomes and is currently engaged in policy, programs, systems reform, and/or messaging and communications related to any area of the talent pipeline (early childhood education, K-12, postsecondary education, workforce development, etc.). The most successful fellows come from chambers with an organizational commitment to education and talent development and have been in their positions for at least a year.
Q: I’m not a CEO, can I still apply?
A: The Fellowship for Education & Talent Development is available to chamber CEOs and senior staff. Anyone who holds a leadership role in the chamber industry and is passionate about improving education and talent development outcomes is encouraged to apply.
Q: Someone from my chamber previously completed the fellowship. Can I still apply?
Yes. Our most recent cohorts have included a mix of chambers who have never participated and those with past fellows.
Q: I wasn’t accepted to the Fellowship program this year, what else can I do to get involved?
For starters, apply again next year. In the meantime, email Edgar Castillo at ECastillo@acce.org to be added to the Education & Talent Development Division (ETD) and discuss other learning and consultation opportunities offered by the ETD.
Last updated: 4/17/2020
Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives
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