Why Schools Should Leverage Their Local Chamber of Commerce: Building Economic Opportunity Through Local Partnerships

Key Points:

• Schools can build career pathways and economic opportunities for students through partnerships with local chambers of commerce, leveraging mentorship, internships, and real-world exposure.

• Initiatives like ElevateEdAZ and student-run chambers demonstrate how structured collaborations can close economic mobility gaps and create meaningful opportunities for all students, regardless of background.

Most schools already have a powerful economic development partner sitting in their backyard—they just haven’t activated the relationship yet. Local chambers of commerce represent a largely untapped resource for connecting students with real-world opportunities, mentorship networks, and pathways to economic mobility that traditional classroom instruction simply cannot provide.

As Tasha Marsaglia, Executive Director of the Plainfield Shorewood Area (Illinois) Chamber of Commerce, puts it: “Connecting the students with the community is extremely important. So many students don’t realize what’s outside their back door. The opportunities that open up are huge — jobs, internships, connections, and ventures that wouldn’t happen otherwise.”