Current editions of two monthly local print publications - The Roanoker and City Magazine - both have two articles each that specifically address retaining and attracting young adults in the region. Kudos to the authors, editors and publishers for these pieces.

Norma Lugar’s column "The Tyranny of the Minority" and Tom Brock’s comments in "If I Ran the Valley" are found in The Roanoker, and in City Magazine, James Sawyer’s piece "Roanoke is more than a cheap date for older folks" and Gene Marrano’s article "What Now for Downtown" all brought even more awareness and exposure to the young adult initiative so many are now recognizing and beginning to understand.

Now that the media exposure is prominent and there is awareness of the issue, action must follow from all parties involved.

As we have said the biggest impediment to attracting and retaining young adults is not a lack of jobs and things to do, but a lack of effective communication and promotion of things to do and jobs available. Generations are using completely different communication channels and therefore the young and the old are just not connecting.

A perfect example is the aforementioned articles. When you go to each of the sites, these four articles I mentioned are not currently posted, therefore, the content in each cannot be distributed effectively to the readers of this blog or as links to email lists. As a result, you will have to go pick up a copy of each yourself or wait a month until the issue is archived on the site.

We must use available technology to better communicate to all generations and close this gap for the future benefit of the region.    

A recent Wall Street Journal article talks about a firm Goldstar who has potentially cracked the code in getting Gen X and Gen Y engaged in the arts. Some of the dempgraphic data was very interesting:

• Prefer buying tickets online (and strongly prefer not to buy them over the phone).

• Own iPods and prefer purchasing songs "one at a time" to buying entire albums.

• Use TiVos and other digital video recorders to view TV programs at a time of their own choosing.

• Trust Web site user reviews far more than print-media reviews by "major local columnists." According to Goldstar, "More than 30% of respondents said negative user reviews on a Web site would ’strongly discourage’ them from seeing a show. This is about 15 times more respondents than would be discouraged by a bad columnist’s review."

• Feel little or no "sense of obligation to support important arts and cultural institutions with ticket dollars."

Ironically, a group met yesterday in Roanoke to discuss some aspects of this same issue. How do we get more young adults engaged in the rich arts organization for a city of Roanoke’s size.

Three groups are looking to do just that - Arts Council of the Blue Ridge, Young at Art, Contemporaries and the Square Society. Visit each and join today.  

Job seekers sometimes have an unrealistic expectation of what job opportunities they have a chance in receiving. A college degree is a nice thing to have, but companies want to see what specific skills you have that will benefit their company. Ask yourself these questions before seeking out that next company. Your answers will determine how successful you will be.

Do you have a billable skill set that is in demand and organizations can make a return on investment on your skill set and time?

Typically, the primary reason a person hires you is because you have a skill set and time that the organization can make money off of you. They are looking for a return on their investment. Therefore, what is your billable skill you can sell to prospective employers?

Are the skill sets you have in demand?

Many people have many fine skills that are simply not in demand within the local economy. With increased competition, you must differentiate yourself among other similar job seekers with similar skill sets.

For those of you who do not use LinkedIn (Make me a connection) you are missing out on a great tool for your job search. LinkedIn is a professional networking site similar to Facebook and MySpace.

I recently received a notification to accept a friend and the following "Fact" was stated below:

Fact: Adding 5 connections makes you 3.7x more likely to receive a job offer

What a great stat! If you can meet 5 people a day, your odds of receiving a job offer increase 3.7 times than without those 5 contacts.

Most people feel that networking will only help you if you have a strong tie (i.e. family member) working on your behalf. A study has shown that weaker ties yield more success stories.

As we have stated before 80% of jobs are NEVER advertisied and these jobs are uncovered through NETWORKING. Therefore, spend at least 80% of your time meeting people and building realtionships. That job offer will eventually occur.

The Roanoke Jaycees will be having a Toga Party on June 22 (tonight) from 8 p.m. to 12 midnight at Mountain View Recreation Center 714 13th Street in Roanoke. Music by DJ Travis, casino games, poker tournament, silent auction, food and beverages. Tickets are $15 in advance and can be purchased at the door for $20 each. For more info email or call 345-1316. 

Last night at 202 Market in downtown Roanoke, NewVa Connects had a tremendous event bringing together many (at least 100-150) of the regions young professionals, including ones at our local colleges and universities.

The diversity at the event was equally impressive. A broad mix of people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, professions, hometowns was represented. Many people commented on the success of the event through verbal comments, follow up emails, and Facebook posts.

Great job to all involved for making this event a success.

Last night at the WDBJ 7 community room, members from seven of the region’s young professional groups met to discuss ways in which each group could work together collectively in shaping the future of the region.

A special thanks goes to Nicole for her work in putting this group together.

Many things were said, discussed and shared. New relationships were informed. New energies were created. A list of follow up items emerged. Positive feelings oozed as a result of the discussion.

In the short-term each group agreed to participate and promote the July 6 First Fridays at 5 in downtown Roanoke at the railside amphitheater on Salem Avenue across the street from the bus station. Young adults from these groups and other not affiliated with a group are encouraged to come to this event to support the first of hopefully many joint efforts.

Stay tuned more on this meeting to come…

A colleague recently sent me an excerpt of a new study looking at entrepreneurship development as a key ingredient of overall economic development strategy. Finally, it seems more people are understanding the new way.

A growing number of economic development professionals have stopped chasing big businesses and started chasing the entrepreneurs who create them. A recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City shows that traditional top-down approaches to economic development that relied on luring big firms with tax breaks and other financial incentives are being replaced by bottom-up efforts to foster an entrepreneurial culture where startups can flourish. This approach relies on developing and supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses while improving infrastructure and developing a highly skilled and educated workforce. These efforts depend in large part on improving the quality of life in the community and creating an attractive business climate. While acknowledging that big firms contribute significantly to job creation and innovation, the author contends that concentrating on organic growth is likely to be a much more successful strategy than the recruitment of new firms. The hope is then that some of these home-grown businesses grow to become the big firms that offer better jobs and benefits to area residents.

The entire study can be found here:

Download RecentStudy062007.pdf

The human resources office at Virginia Tech asked for help in promoting their job openings. To read more about these click on this file and look for pay band 4,5,6.

Download vt_current_jobs_062007.pdf

Lauren LaCapra wrote a nice piece in today’s Wall Street Journal describing Pennsylvania’s struggles in retaining college students in their state despite a number of high-priced government initiatives.

This story illustrates that our region is not alone in the competition for local recent graduates and is encouraging that our programs are making progress.