Roanoke Businesses Need to Step Up
July 25th, 2007 by Biz2Biz
Will work for food, gas, rent… I am a young college graduate from southwest Virginia looking for employment in Roanoke. I am looking for a professional job to pay for food, gas and rent. If you are hiring please call me for an interview.
Sound familiar? This is a scenario familiar to our young professionals living and wanting to stay in Roanoke. But, without years of experience how many Roanoke businesses will give them a chance? This is a sad situation in our current local job market. We are losing talented young adults to areas within a 3 hour drive of Roanoke. They are relocating to NC and Northern Virginia.
Brandon Turner touched on the situation in his article in the Roanoke Times. Turner wrote "Here is a question for businesses: How do you realistically expect my generation to gain experience if nobody will hire us?" So what can we do to retain these young professionals in the Roanoke area? Stuart Mease offered a perspective of the job seeker on his blog, Connecting People.
Roanoke businesses need to rethink their employment strategy. Hiring and training college graduates allow the region and the workforce to grow and build a sustainable workforce. The solution is in your hands!!