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Plugging the Brain Drain April 2, 2003 @ 10:58 PM on WVIZ It's a familiar lament! Local college students complain they can't find jobs in Northeast Ohio. And when they graduate, many of them high tail it out of here for greener economic pastures, creating a "brain drain" of young talent. Meanwhile, local industries bemoan the shortage of qualified candidates to fill high-tech positions. What to do? Well many Northeast Ohio organizations are working to change our region's "brain drain" into a "brain gain" by getting the two groups together. For example, the Northeast Ohio Software Association has teamed up with the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education create opportunities for college students and faculty in high-tech fields to meet with representatives of technology companies and major IT employers at events called Digital Mixers. Organizers of these evenings of socializing and networking say the Digital Mixers not only encourage high-tech students to stay put after graduation by showing them the jobs available here in Northeast Ohio. They also help local colleges turn out the kinds of graduates our region's businesses need most.  It’s a familiar lament. Local college students complain they can’t find good jobs in Northeast Ohio. Meanwhile, local industries bemoan the shortage of qualified candidates to fill high-tech positions. What to do? How about getting the two sides together! Several Northeast Ohio organizations are working to do just that. They’re finding a variety of ways to link young talent with local employers to turn our “brain drain” into a “brain gain.” Take, for example, an evening of networking and socializing called the Digital Mixer. This regularly scheduled event is designed to introduce information technology students with the Northeast Ohio companies that need their skills. Making Change correspondent Cynthia Barnes has the story. Cynthia Barnes The Digital Mixer combines employers… Matt Garey, Human Resources, Sherwin Williams “We need to find people that understand our business.” CB Students… Josh Chapman/Stark State College Student “I hope to improve my contacts.” CB And university faculty… in way that organizers hope will be a recipe for economic success. The Northeast Ohio Software Association and its partner, the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education, sponsor the semiannual event. Man Blowing Whistle “Okay that’s it. Shift guys.” CB Talk about high-speed networking! Students have exactly one minute to introduce themselves to a prospective employer, before moving on to the next one. Student talking to recruiter “Currently, I’m a senior at Kent State University, hopefully getting a degree in information systems.” Student talking to recruiter “Management information systems is my major and my specialty is kind of a jack of all trades, really.” Jim Cookinham, NEOSA President The biggest problem that the industry has is shortage of good talented people, so what we find is that so many students don’t know the companies, so they graduate, they say everything that’s hot is in California or Seattle, so I got to leave Northeast Ohio and they really haven’t met the companies. CB Sherwin Williams is one of those companies. Known for its paints, the corporation also places a high value on information technology. Matt Garey, Human Resources Sherwin Williams We need to find people that understand our business, understand how I.T. is going to be able to impact our business and then also have interpersonal skills that they can use to influence their business partners. CB Many students attending the Digital Mixer say they value the opportunity to network with I.T. professionals… and learn first-hand what companies expect. Josh Chapman, Stark State College Student It’s kinda nice seeing that there are companies willing to lend out a hand, saying hey, we’re here to kinda help you out. William Downey, Remington College Student “You get to meet a lot of different people. You get to find out that what you’re thinking either is in with what’s going on or you’re totally foreign and you can kind of adjust and see that where the whole technology field is going. CB And the information technology field seems to be going nowhere but up! The Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services reports that I-T jobs are among the Northeast Ohio’s fastest growing occupations… with computer engineers and systems analysts leading the pack. Jim Cookinham, NEOSA President There are 70,000 people employed in I.T. Five percent of the workforce, 10 percent of the salaries in Northeast Ohio are information technology. CB Iris Wavelet is among those employees in this region. She attended a Digital Mixer similar to this one last year. After talking with about 20 companies, she finally met the one that eventually would become her employer. Dakota Software develops software for companies that conduct safety auditing. Iris Wavelet, Software Development Engineer, Dakota Software When I met Brooks, my boss, at the Digital Mixer, he told me about the product they had. I found it very interesting. Brooks Pollock, Manager Product Development, Dakota Software One thing that particularly impressed me about her is that I was looking for someone with software development experience with software products. CB Turns out, Iris has experience in both. Iris Wavelet So the Digital Mixer give me the change to meet employers. Maybe that helped me to get a job sooner. CB Back at this year’s Digital Mixer, the networking continues. Jim Cookinham, President, NEOSA This is an opportunity for them to meet the companies, hear about some of the cool stuff that’s going on and maybe start making some connections so they don’t have to leave the region. CB For Making Change, I’m Cynthia Barnes Julie Henry So how can you help plug the brain drain? Get involved in one of the organizations working to link students, academics, and employers. Check out the list of resources below. There are many opportunities for employers and students to meet each other at live events or through the Internet. Remember, the more we all get involved… the faster we’ll begin Making Change here in Northeast Ohio. Resources:
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