Saturday, April 04 2009
SW Indiana to Unveil Retaining College Graduates Initiative
Economic and higher education leaders will launch the Southwest Indiana Education and Experience (E2) Initiative today in Evansville. E2 is designed to keep southwest Indiana's college graduates in that part of the state. The initiative will create a partnership among institutions, chambers of commerce, economic development and civic organizations.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (April 1, 2009) – A news conference will be held at Innovation Pointe in Downtown Evansville today to discuss a new initiative to retain Southwestern Indiana’s college graduates. The initiative will be called the Southwest Indiana Education and Experience (E2) Initiative.
The release of the Indiana Human Capital Retention Project in 1999 demonstrated that after graduation from college nearly 40% of Indiana’s homegrown talent left the State. This was in sharp contrast to its neighboring states that all retained more than 75% and the national average of 71% retention.
The continued loss of a highly-trained and skilled workforce can have serious implications as the economy continues to transition towards knowledge-based employment opportunities. Ranking 44th among states in the percentage of college graduates in our workforce not only hampers economic development efforts but hits Hoosier’s pocketbooks as Indiana residents only make 93.5% of the nation’s median household income ranking it 31st in comparison to the other states.
In an effort to encourage Indiana’s best and brightest to begin their professional lives here in Southwestern Indiana, the Grow Southwest Indiana Workforce Board, The Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana, University of Southern Indiana, University of Evansville, Vincennes University, Oakland City University, Ivy Tech Community College of Southwest Indiana and ITT Technical Institute have joined forces with area Rotary Clubs and business leaders to launch Southwest Indiana’s E2.
The initiative will create a partnership among the institutions of higher learning, chambers of commerce, economic development and civic organizations along with workforce professionals to actively recruit employers and encourage them to develop meaningful internship programs within their corporations while assisting university and high school personnel to prepare students for the rigors, realities and opportunities of today’s work environment.
A survey by Next Generation Consulting showed that 75% of interns accept full-time positions with an intern host company. E2 will provide for business representatives who will contact area employers and assist them in structuring internship programs that are meaningful to both the employer and the intern. Intern positions created will then be posted to Indiana INTERNnet.
By tapping into the state-wide high-tech support and resource materials of Indiana INTERNnet, students attending local universities and colleges have access to a more diverse listing of internships to better match their skills and interests; local students attending colleges and universities outside of the region can learn about possible positions back home; employers have a wider range of talent from which to choose; universities and colleges build relationships with a greater number of employers; and Southwestern Indiana builds a valuable asset for recruiting new economic opportunities.
For more information on the Southwest Indiana’s E2 initiative, contact Sara Huelsman at sara.huelsman@workonesw.org or visit www.workonesouthwest.org
Source: Inside INdiana Business & Grow Southwest Indiana Workforce Comments:
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