A new program is pushing college graduates to stay in Alabama. The Fuel Alabama Fellowship offers college juniors and seniors the chance to visit Huntsville, Montgomery and Mobile to discover life after graduation in the state. The fellowship is based in the Birmingham metro area and will take place between June and July. Applicants will get the opportunity to meet industry leaders and network with fellow students around the state. Carolyn Williams is with the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama. She says Alabama is on the rise and there are many new opportunities to explore.
“It’s super important for people to come to Alabama and stay in Alabama because it’s a unique opportunity that you don’t get if you were to go to a place like California or New York,” said Williams. “And Alabama is really in the thick of reimagining the communities and the cultures that we call our own.”
State lawmakers funded a similar program called “retain Alabama” to help convince college graduates to remain the state. The goal is to grow Alabama’s educated workforce to accommodate changing technologies which will need degreed staff members in the future. Carolyn Williams says the Fuel Alabama Fellowship works in a similar fashion
“The Fuel Alabama Fellowship is really an opportunity for young people who are interning around the Birmingham metro area where we take them to different areas of the state and just show them what Alabama has to offer but what a life could look like in Alabama after college graduation,” Williams stated.
Students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.