Fuel Alabama (FuelAL), a talent attraction and retention program of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA), in partnership with Innovate Alabama, has joined with nine communities across the state to offer summer programming for college students.

Partnering communities will offer summer interns professional development, service opportunities and social events, with a focus on providing fun, valuable and unique experiences outside of the interns’ workplaces.

FuelAL connects undergraduate and graduate students to employers through community-building activities that showcase Alabama’s unique assets. Interns can broaden their networks and socialize with peers through professional workshops, team-building exercises and other events. Through the program, FuelAL hopes to deepen connections and position Alabama as an attractive place for graduating students to grow roots and start their lives as young professionals.

FuelAL programming will be hosted within these nine communities: Calhoun County, Auburn, Birmingham, Baldwin County, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa. From beachside festivals to downtown concerts, each city has proposed a summer lineup of events to bring Alabama’s summer interns together to experience and celebrate their communities.

“Our 2022 FuelAL Fellowship pilot impacted 17 student interns in a meaningful way, but we are ready to scale. By partnering with these nine communities, we’ll impact hundreds of talented students across the state,” said Miller Girvin, executive vice president of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at EDPA.

“Our goal is to provide interns with personal and professional resources and exposure to unique experiences that define life in Alabama, in hopes they choose to make it their home long-term,” Girvin said.

To supplement the experiences in interns’ host cities, EDPA will host a Summer Summit, designed to engage and fuel relationships among community-oriented young professionals in disparate regions. Interns who have participated in events in their community will be given the opportunity to sign up for a fun-filled weekend with 40 fellow interns based throughout Alabama. The first Summit will be a weekend in Muscle Shoals, enjoying the outdoors, culture and community that northwest Alabama has to offer. Additional summits, which will engage students as they near graduation, are slated for fall 2023, winter 2023 and spring 2024.

“Innovate Alabama is excited to support FuelAL in providing a unique experience for the next generation of Alabama’s innovators,” said Cynthia Crutchfield, CEO of Innovate Alabama. “One of our objectives in talent retention is creating opportunities for native Alabamians to flourish and bring new, innovative ideas to our state. By partnering with FuelAL, not only do we give students an opportunity to grow, but we are also able to show off the diverse, thriving communities within Alabama.”

For more information and updates, go to EDPA’s talent attraction and retention page. To learn more about the planned programming within communities, contact the following:

• Auburn/Montgomery – Amy Brabham, abrabham@auburnalabama.org, or Nichole Thompson, nthompson@thelabondexter.com
• Calhoun County – Krychelle Smith, krychelles@calhounchamber.com
• Baldwin County/Mobile – McCall Lugo, mlugo@baldwineda.com, or Abbey Huguley, ahuguley@mobilechamber.com
• Birmingham – Trevor Sutton, tsutton@birminghambusinessalliance.com
• Dothan – Hayden Camp, hcamp@southeastalabamaworks.com
• Huntsville – Annie Davis, adavis@hsvchamber.org
• Tuscaloosa – Justice Smyth, smyth@tcoeda.com