Services aim to plug brain drain

Community-based matchmaking services are working to help Michigan retain the best and brightest students emerging from its colleges and universities.

The "brain drain" affecting Michigan, as well as many other states, was quantified in a survey of public-university graduates conducted by S.E. Michigan WIRED (Workforce Innovations in Regional Economic Development) and the Michigan Municipal League. It found that 46% of 2007 graduates had left the state by Spring 2008. It also showed that 56% cited the inability to find a job as a significant reason for leaving. Though more recent data is lacking, the drain has almost certainly worsened along with state economic conditions in the past two years.

Still, the research also underscores a substantial opportunity to retain students through services that qualify and help connect them with potential employers.

One such organization moving into the void is Intern Michigan (http://internmichigan.com/), supported by groups such as the Detroit Regional Chamber, Traverse City Area Chamber and the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan. Focusing on entry-level opportunities, Intern Michigan creates an exchange on which employers can post internship opportunities that can be shopped by college students and soon-to-be graduates. It seeks to match a student's hard skills with other intangibles that align with an employer's values, guidelines and branding.

Other services attempt to delve even deeper into the softer side of a potential intern's profile. For example, the recently launched Hearts and Smarts (http://heartsandsmarts.com/) queries job seekers on personality traits an employer might find important. Approximately 50 questions in the profile probe areas such as, What makes you most comfortable in a work environment?

Together, such organizations and services improve Michigan's prospects for retaining the eager young minds it helps educate. Once they have foot in the door, studies show qualified interns have a solid chance of converting to permanent employment: According to the National Assoication of Colleges and Employers, the share of interns converted to full-time employment rose from 35.6% in 2001 to 50.5% in 2008.