From time to time, we are approached by second tier cities, complaining that they can not keep their young people. The answer is so simple, we didn't even get it on first exposure. One of the main reasons given by young people leaving their home towns is "employment". Their perception is that they could not find "the right employment" for them in the town. Often, they are wrong, but no amount of persuasion was ever successful in getting them to stay.
What will work is to engage them as interns, give them lots of training, show them working in a good culture is like. Trust me, they will be salivating to work with you after graduation. And the coolest part for employers is that they get the benefit of people who already know their cultures and how to get things done within the organization―--an issue that we maintain is a major driver of employee turnover.
Internships are win-win-win opportunities:
•The schools win, because they often charge for the credits, but much more importantly, interns bond local organizations to college or university.
•The students win, because they get "real world" experience and the opportunity to try out a job or profession. (My now endocrinologist daughter found out that she wasn't interested in research after she interned at a local hospital one summer.)
•Employers win, because they have first right of refusal to hire the top fresh graduates―if they've played their cards right.
So why isn't every organization in the world engaging lots of interns? There are many reasons, none of them rational.
But wait! There's more. Former interns statistically stay longer with their employers, than non-former interns. So employers are saving big bucks through employee retention. You get "credit" in the eyes of your current employees for "growing the next generation".
Keep watching my blogposts to see an innovative idea for developing and funding those internships.
Looking Forward. . .
Joyce Gioia-Herman
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