Turning Brain Drain into Brain Gain:
Keeping Talented Students in NEPA After Graduation

To Stay or Not to Stay?
For graduates of NEPA’s 15 regional colleges and universities, that is the question.

The 50,000 students enrolled in these higher education institutions are faced with evaluating their future from a variety of perspectives, while the region is faced with enticing the graduates to stay. Currently the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development ranks PA as the second worst state in the nation for percentage of college undergraduates who leave their home area to find work.

Pros: Roots & Recreation
Northeast PA tends to win out when family is the highest priority.The majority of graduates we interviewed stuck around because they placed high value on staying close to their loved ones.Others recognize the region’s family-friendly factors like low crime rate, affordable living and healthcare and education options. Recreational opportunities add to the draw. NEPA is rich in art, culture, sports and outdoor activities, all located just a day trip away from major metropolitan areas, beaches and rural country-sides.

Changing Perceptions
Community leaders are realizing the need to market what this area offers to improve perception of the region. Working toward that end are organizations like POWER!, Rediscover Scranton, Northeastern PA Technology Institute and Chamber of Commerce leadership development programs such as Leaderships Wilkes-Barre, Lackawanna, Pike County and Hazleton.

“Young professionals are very concerned about keeping recent graduates in the area,” admits Kristyn Kelly, economic development specialist for the Scranton Plan and events director for POWER! Scranton. “We as young professionals and future community leaders need to inform these students of the opportunities that are right here in this region.The stigma that they need to locate to Philadelphia or other major cities is not the only option, and they need to hear that from us. We are the prime example of the opportunities and success that can be attained in this area.”

Joe Butcher is the director of POWER! Wilkes-Barre and branch manager and financial advisor for LPL Financial. He moved back to this region after spending 10 years in the Southeast. He explains,“I was an example of ‘brain drain’ - I moved out of the area to find employment. I realized that the ‘grass isn’t always greener,’ and there are a number of reasons to reside in NEPA. I joined POWER! in 2007 with the goal of helping spread the word about all of the great reasons to live,work and play in Northeast PA.”

We Can’t Lose Our Minds
“We have a tremendous talent pool that comes from our colleges,” notes Butcher. “Retaining graduates will result in entrepreneurship and innovation for the local job market, and it will help to attract new industry and spur economic development for the region.”

Robert Watts agrees.He works with regional colleges on a daily basis through his position as vice president of the NEPA Technology Institute.

“A region’s workforce is its greatest asset. If we can retain our most educated youth in critical skills such as information technology, financial services, engineering and science, high-end employers will relocate here to access that workforce. If we keep these graduates and give them a favorable business climate,we will see more opportunities not only for them but for all employees.”

Plugging the Drain
Students, schools, community leaders and employers all need to take responsibility to stop the drain of talent. Lackawanna County’s Deputy Director of Governmental and Community Affairs Kevin Haggerty advises,“Finding careers here in Northeast PA does not begin the day you graduate from college; it begins the moment you arrive. It is essential for students to become part of the communities where they live and not simply quarantine themselves among their college peers.” Networking, internships and support for entrepreneurs are vital to getting young people rooted in Northeast PA. Then, they will have the opportunity to grow both themselves and the region.

-Article Courtesy of Happenings Magazine