CEDAS Invests in Professional Development with the Return of the "Basic Course"
10/15/2015
The 37th Annual New England Economic Development Course ("Basic Course") returned to Connecticut on September 21 – 24 in North Haven. CEDAS was a sponsor of the five-day course.
Accredited by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), this intensive immersion course prepares new economic development staff, board members and allied disciplines for success in improving local and regional economies. In addition, graduates are eligible to attend The University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute or IEDC's series of courses, both of which provide the classroom education required to take the exam for the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) professional designation.
Writes Juliet Hodge, CEDAS Board Member, from the Southeastern CT Enterprise Region (SeCTer), “Ann Chambers (Director of Loan Programs, seCTer), Sam Eisenbeiser (ED Coordinator, North Stonington) and I recently completed the Basic Economic Development Course…Congratulations to Mark Waterhouse for putting together this course and for providing such inspiring instructors and the opportunity to meet and network with so many fellow economic developers! We all look forward to the next step on our path to our CEcD certification.”
CEDAS Scholarship Recipient Ann Chambers added, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Scholarship Committee of CEDAS for awarding me a scholarship…Your generosity allowed me to attend the Introduction to Economic Development class, something that I would not have been able to do due to seCTer’s budgetary constraints (we had one attendee already budgeted and there was not sufficient funding for two of us).
Recent history has shown that in a small organization like ours, it is vitally important for managers to have a working knowledge of more than one program so that we can maintain stability within the organization when unforeseen events occur. I have been a commercial lender for 35+- years and found the study of the “front end” of economic development very interesting and challenging; so much that I might continue the program. The class gave me great insight into the role an organization like ours with the staff that we have has in the economic development of our region. I also have an expanded Rolodex of professionals to call upon. “
We look forward to more members taking the class in 2016! For more info contact info@cedas.org.
