The Intensive Economic Development Training Course: Where Impact and Results are Synonymous

Success Story

For more than 20 years, The Alabama Cooperative Extension System, The Economic Development Institute at Auburn University, and The Economic Development Association of Alabama, have offered a two-week Intensive Economic Development Training Course for Alabama's economic development professionals and practitioners.

This training course introduces the participant to all phases of economic development. The program leaders and faculty are experienced in economic development techniques and have tailored the course to the expressed needs of professional economic developers. City managers, community developers, Chamber of Commerce executives and officers, research analysts and assistants, specialists, job developers, revenue officers, Industrial Development Board members, County Commissioners and other elected or appointed municipal and county officials have found the course especially valuable. The course is divided into two one-week sessions. The course is a great orientation for economic and community development enhancement and sustainability in Alabama. The first week of the course mostly follows the curriculum of the International Economic Development Council's basic course - an introduction to economic development. The second week's curriculum is geared more toward Alabama issues and resources. Some of the topics offered include:

• Fundamentals of Economic Development
• Economic Development Strategic Planning for the Community
• The Location and Site Selection Process· Developing and Using Speculative Buildings
• Economic Development Marketing and Media Relations
• Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development
• Alabama Tourism
• Business Retention and Expansion

Course participants are administered a pre-test/post-test and are administer a final examination.