Juneau Battles Loss of Talented Young People

The loss of Alaska's most talented young people to Outside has triggered growing concerns, but the Juneau Economic Development Council is trying to reverse what's commonly known as "brain drain."

"This is a problem," JEDC Business Development Manager Meagan Gleason said. "Students are leaving Juneau to go to college, technical or trade school and they're not coming back."

The council is planning to launch a new program, The Knowledge Industry Network, to try to prevent brain drain and hopes the program will eventually expand statewide. Gleason presented the plan Friday at a Juneau Chamber of Commerce luncheon. The project is at the conceptual stage.

The Knowledge Industry Network"s mission is to "rally young, progressive professionals in their 20s and 30s to organize in support of making Juneau a cauldron of innovation, interaction and entrepreneurship."

More here.