THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 24, 1994 TAG: 9410220188
SECTION: BUSINESS WEEKLY PAGE: 2 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
Edward S. Finn of Virginia Beach contends a brain drain has begun in Hampton Roads. He's dismayed.
Our Sept. 26 cover story reported, ``As the armed forces trim brains, brawn and budget, thousands of personnel in Hampton Roads are looking for jobs in the private sector.''
Finn, a retired Navy captain, was exasperated with a passage that said Hampton Roads' saturated job market has forced personnel leaving the military to look outside the region for work.
Finn contends their departure amounts to an immense outflow of human ingenuity. He said community officials should marshal resources and stop the brain drain. He wrote:
Hampton Roads has a gold mine of military talent from nuclear engineers to aircraft mechanics, multi-engine pilots to electronic technicians, computer programmers to law enforcement experts, diesel technicians to stock controllers, legal assistants to medical technicians, deep sea divers to gourmet cooks, clerical managers to training experts. The list of qualified armed service personnel in the Hampton Roads area is endless.
What I think you can construe from the article is: Hampton Roads thinks small. Hampton Roads does not appreciate the professional talent that is resident here in the military community.
Hampton Roads communities continue to pay big bucks to lure corporations to locate here without considering investing in the existing military personnel and their technical and support talents.
What does Hampton Roads enjoy with the military here? Thousands of technical and managerial experts are living and settled in this area. There are thousands of potential students in technical and college programs; thousands of taxpayers ready to stay and contribute to the local tax base if they have jobs; thousands of children that will not have to be uprooted from local school systems; thousands of second-income earners.
How do the Hampton Roads communities capitalize on this tremendous asset they have with the talented and hard working military community and their families?
First, they recognize that the local military community is one of the most talented and technically qualified communities in the nation.
Second, they realize that the military community is a very significant contributor to their local tax bases.
Third, the military dependents provide the schools with program continuity and multi-cultural exposure.
Fourth, a very significant number of candidates for college and graduate studies will be from local military communities and their families.
So what do we do to keep Hampton Roads' national treasure of military technicians, managers, students, engineers and workers in this area?
We develop local programs that are targeted for businesses and institutions to employ the talent of military personnel in the Tidewater area before they seek jobs outside the area.
What I think is necessary for enhancing the employment opportunities of the very talented military personnel in Tidewater are:
Advertise nationwide that Tidewater has in place an experienced, educated and talented population that no other area can equal. (This area probably has more nuclear engineers, computer and electronic technicians than both Silicon Valley or the Boston area can put together on a smog-free day.)
Establish in each Tidewater city one or more Employment Research Center.
The local libraries do not provide adequate research environments or administrative support necessary for unemployed or retired taxpayers to successfully search out new employment opportunities in the area.
I recommend that Tidewater communities establish employment research centers (ERCs) on a joint city-corporation membership basis. Cities could provide funds through their library budgets. Business could contribute resources.
Employment seekers could join the centers and and pay modest membership fees and dues.
ERCs should be serious research centers and not located in libraries or other civic-owned properties. They should be serious, stand-alone facilities.
Meeting rooms for small lectures, counseling and discussion groups are essential.
Set up ADP data bases that network with other ERCs. Include local resume companies, job placement companies and local employment agencies in the data base.
Contributing businesses and corporations can list local job opportunities, but should not actively solicit in the ERCs. by CNB