Workforce Development Partnerships Creating Internships and Co-Ops Help Generate Company Success
ATLANTA, GA (April 2014) – HBCU Direct, LLC (HD), a marketing collective specializing in HBCU relations, has been recognized for its successful 2013 by two notable small business organizations. Both the Small Business Community Association and the United States Institute for Excellence in Commerce awarded HBCU Direct with its excellence in educational consulting category. The awards mark the first time the three-year old agency has been selected by multiple organizations and further validates its mission of bridging the gap between corporate and government entities and the nation's 100+ HBCU's.
“We are excited to be recognized for our service to the HBCU community. We need platforms to highlight our work because it gives us a chance to do more to fulfill the needs of students and alumni of HBCU’s” said HD CEO/Executive Director and Morehouse College graduate Rod Chappell. "Our work allows us to help prepare future business leaders and entrepreneurs to access opportunities in the government contract fields” added Chappell whose events company Grassroots Promotions has produced the BET Black College Tour for more than and decade.
The 2013 year marked the company's foray into the world of government contracting with contract with three NASA related contracts including a NASA-Langley Research Center contract to increase HBCU internships, a NASA-vendor contract (Qinetic) to supply engineering and computer science students at Kennedy Space Center in Orlando, Florida and a NASA-vendor contract (Teledyne Brown Engineering) to supply co-op interns at Marshall Space Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
In addition to new 2014 partnerships, HD is working to launch an HBCU Government Contracting Institute on multiple HBCU campuses to train and educate school administrators, students, alumni and government contractors on doing business with the federal government.
ABOUT HBCU DIRECT
Founded in 2010, HBCU Direct is a private, Atlanta, GA-based company focused on connecting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) with corporate and government business opportunities. The company uses aggregation of HBCU’s to drive additional revenues or reduced costs. The company has a specialized niche driving workforce development and job creation for HBCU students and alumni
