Young professionals connect to plug ‘brain drain’
If Iowa is to stay vibrant and progressive, it must plug the leak in the talent pool.
A 2006 report from the Iowa Civic Analysis Network shows Iowa has been experiencing the gradual out-migration of young professionals for more than a decade. In fact, a December 2008 report by the Generation Iowa Commission found that from 1995-2000 Iowa had the second-highest net out-migration rate of young professionals. North Dakota had the highest rate.
The phenomenon is called brain drain, defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the out-migration of people ages 25-29 who are single and college educated.
“I’ve been in management, and I’ve lost a lot of professionals who worked for me because they didn’t feel like they fit or felt there was nothing in this community for them,” said Lisa Smith, owner of LKS Career Connections in Cedar Falls.
Networking
Through a new group, Cedar Valley Happenin’ Young Professionals, Smith and dozens of other local young professionals are banding together to change that mind set. They hope to lure others like them to the Cedar Valley and keep them here.
The organization launched June 5 of last year through the efforts of Smith, 43, and Brett Tjaden, 35.
“Myself and another individual had been talking about this for the last two years,” said Tjaden, chief operating officer for Iowa Metal Spinners. “It never really clicked with me until I took a Cedar Valley Chamber business leaders class. I grew up in Denver, so you’d think I’d know all there was to know about this community. But I learned a lot. Then I thought, ‘Where do I go now and how do I apply what I learned?’
“There is a need for a continuation of that to be exposed to what the community has to offer. There was no one outlet for me to have that. So we did a lot of brainstorming and research. There are other YP organizations throughout the state, and we were the largest metro area to not have one of these.”
So Tjaden and Smith set to work, meeting with local business leaders to talk about the feasibility of creating a group for young professionals. The group would have to address three key areas: mentorship and leadership; community outreach; and networking opportunities.
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