Discover Durham, chartered by the state general assembly, is Durham’s city and county marketing agency empowered with leading visitor centered economic and cultural development. Cara Rousseau, VP of Marketing, learned of #NCWorks #NextGen through workforce development connections and inquired about forming a partnership with us. Through this partnership, she hoped to provide area young adults an opportunity to learn the fundamentals associated with #tourism #marketing by assisting travelers in the Visitor Center.
NextGen representatives met with Cara and her colleagues to determine how they could assist in meeting their objectives. Discover Durham subsequently entered into an agreement with NextGen to provide participants with work experience internship opportunities.
Cara and her staff have been working with NextGen program participant Kevin, who is experienced in customer service, and consistently seeks new prospects to develop his skills. In addition to utilizing his outgoing personality and knowledge of Durham by helping travelers in the Visitor Center; Kevin has been assisting Cara’s team on several project initiatives including updating their marketing management database and providing logistical support at area events. Cara remarked to NextGen program representatives how delighted Discover Durham is to have Kevin as part of their team. Visitor Center Manager, Margaret Anderson commented: “Overall, Kevin has been a pleasure to work with and has accomplished a great deal for us in updating our database.”
Kevin relishes his role as a Visitor Services Assistant. His internship has aided in expanding his abilities and horizons. He plans to further his education and career path through Durham Tech’s Associates Degree program, eventually transitioning to a four-year program.