Program will help area employers by offering specialized support services for new hires who are relocating to the Capital Region.

Albany – The Center for Economic Growth (CEG) announces a unique new program offering to regional employers who are in need of comprehensive support in recruitment and retention of valued talent. Talent Connect will provide several different services to address the challenges that face today’s relocating professionals in a variety of innovative ways, including pre-hire consultations, dual career support, community integration and cultural transitioning.

“Talent Connect provides a crucial piece to the puzzle for both employers seeking the right candidates as well as employees looking to relocate for work, and we are excited to add the program to CEG’s service offerings,” said Michael Hickey, CEG’s Interim President & CEO. “Not only will this program benefit our investors, it ties into the region’s Capital 20.20 talent strategy, focused on attraction and retention of a qualified workforce for our local companies” he continued.

The program will enhance recruitment and retention of professional talent for area employers, and break the personal and professional isolation often associated with transitioning professionals to a new location. Talent Connect will provide substantive support, enabling professionals to integrate more quickly into a professional network, take root in their new communities, and connect to what’s important to them. It will also enable employers seeking talent with a competitive edge by giving them visibility to relocating talent.

While the Talent Connect program is a new offering at CEG, the concepts had its roots out of Tech Valley Connect (TVC). Tech Valley Connect was an innovative initiative that originally started as a pilot program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2009 and soon after transitioned into an independent non-profit.  Although Tech Valley Connect’s program was created to improve the retention rate for the region’s employers, it turned into something bigger, providing career support services for newly locating professionals and those with families transitioning to the Capital Region, as well as comprehensive community integration and cultural transitioning. The program started at TVC is now being replicated in California and Maine. 

“The new Talent Connect under the Center for Economic Growth will have access to a much larger platform and be able to better serve the business and academic communities of the Capital Region by offering innovative recruitment and retention support services in a centralized and efficient way. CEG is where most employers would look for this type of support, so this is a common sense solution,” said Angela McNerney, President and CEO of Tech Valley Connect.

The program at Tech Valley Connect has been very successful, and CEG is confident that we will be able to provide high quality services to promote and enhance the region’s employment opportunities and sense of community through our Talent Connect program.

We are pleased to welcome the following CEG employees who came to us from Tech Valley Connect to provide seamless support for our new Talent Connect program: Joanne Bucher, Program Manager, Talent Connect and Danielle Roberts, Communications Specialist, Talent Connect.  John Giordano, Director of Investor Relations for CEG will also take on the role of Director, Talent Connect.

You will find more details on the CEG website (www.ceg.org) under Talent Connect in the coming weeks. View the following videos and link for more information:

·         What Regional Stakeholders say:  http://youtu.be/BttwLeazOO8

·         What Dual Career Couples say:   http://youtu.be/kmh4hITxWmc

·         Tech Valley Connect web: www.techvalleyconnect.com

About the Center for Economic Growth 

The Center for Economic Growth (CEG) is the regional economic development organization for the greater Capital Region and New York’s Tech Valley and also serves as the Capital Region’s designated Regional Technology Development Center.

With over 300 C-level members in business, government, education, and the not-for-profit sectors, CEG's vision is to lead Tech Valley as one of the most prosperous and innovative ecosystems in the world.  Together with its partners, the organization works to build a skilled and sustainable Workforce and Education pipeline; cultivate a strong Entrepreneurial ecosystem; and ensure a modern Infrastructure to grow local companies, attract new investment and prepare our communities for growth.

In addition, in its role as the Regional Technology Development Center designated by ESD NYSTAR as part of the NY Manufacturing Extension Partnership and the federal NIST/Manufacturing Extension Partnership, CEG assists local manufacturing and technology companies with generating new sales, creating stronger operational infrastructure and overcoming barriers to growth and innovation. Since 2002, the CEG MEP team has driven more than $562 million in total quantifiable impacts to close to 400 manufacturing companies in the Capital Region. For more information on CEG’s strategic initiatives and technology service programs, visit www.ceg.org or call (518) 465-8975.