Cape Chamber Invests in Future Community Leaders

Servant leadership.

This was Navy SEAL Team 6 member Marcus Capone�s message to approximately 130 young professionals at the Cape Chamber�s first Emerge Young Professionals Summit in March. The day featured local business people�s insight into issues such as collaboration, networking initiating difficult conversations with bosses.

The summit is part of the Chamber�s plan to develop and keep qualified workers in southeast Missouri. This plan addresses the biggest workforce issue that Chamber members have expressed: finding qualified candidates to hire.

The Cape Chamber is implementing two additional solutions for developing qualified workers; both focus on educating young people.

The first, connectCAPE, provides job shadowing opportunities for Southeast Missouri State University students. Students gain valuable work experience, while companies gain a low-cost way to influence the future workforce, getting to know potential employees beyond a one-time interview. After its inaugural fall 2017 semester, 100 percent of student participants said they would recommend connectCAPE to others; 91 percent of companies said they would host an intern again. Plans are underway to extend the program to high school and career and technology students.

The Cape Chamber�s second solution is Capable, which will commence during 2018-2019. Led by Cape Girardeau County Commissioner Charlie Herbst, Capable will bring businesses, schools and civic organizations together to connect our community with key resources for essential skills. Students, businesses and organizations will focus on a different so skill each month, including making eye contact, shaking hands and communicating e effectively.

�It�s harder and harder to find qualified workers � that�s what we�re hearing across the board,� says John Mehner, Cape Chamber president and CEO. �We want to retain good workers here in the southeast Missouri region. To do this, we need to make sure we get our young professionals involved, helping them transition into community leaders.�