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September 2008
The Future of HRM - Strategies for Change
Getting & keeping people in Nova Scotia
by Lindsay Keilty
The high quality of post-secondary education in Halifax draws in the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but what happens to them after graduation? Brain drain is a common phenomenon — a large emigration of individuals with technical skills or knowledge, often due to lack of opportunity. Individuals from Atlantic Canada are drawn to major economic centres like Toronto and areas west in pursuit of higher salaries and advanced career opportunities.
A 2004 ACOA survey found that 38 per cent of students from the 18 Atlantic universities planned to leave the region upon graduation. Adam Jackson is nearing the completion of his Mineral Resource Engineering degree from Dalhousie University. He is an example of a student from Nova Scotia who has moved west in search of jobs that aren’t otherwise available locally. He is now working in the production variance reporting, technical support and services department at the Steepbank Mine Complex for Suncor in Fort McMurray.
“For my specialty, there are very few mining or natural gas companies in the HRM,” Jackson said of why he’s in Alberta on work placement. “There are few possible positions for my engineering field in the HRM, but much more out west.”
He believes that the city should infiltrate the universities and show graduating students why they should stay.
Kathleen Penny completed her occupational therapy degree at Dalhousie University in the spring and left for Alberta last month (August) to take a job with a school board. “Halifax is a young town with all kinds of activities, nightlife, concerts, restaurants and attractions that make it a great place to live and work,” she said.
“I could not find a job in my field in HRM after six years of going to university in the city, so that is why I am in Alberta. I want to gain experience and hopefully get a job in Nova Scotia eventually. I was offered a full time position with benefits out west with a much higher salary then what is available in Nova Scotia, which made my decision easier because of my student debt. “I wouldn't have left if I could have got a job here,” Penny said.
Brian Rose, vice president of marketing and membership for the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, says young up-and-comers aren't naive about what they need or want.
“For today’s hot, young talent, excellent programs like Fusion, Nova Scotia Come to Life and East Coast Connected are a sign that this is a community that cares about the same things that they do,” Rose said. “This is a group of people who are cynical enough about advertising. We need to be genuine. We need to have the product to back up the claims and we are not there yet.”
Such programs are designed to show young up-and-comers what the province has to offer, but the message may be too sugar coated for media savvy youth to digest.
Rose thinks while we're on the right track, it's time to turn these plans into action. “In the coming months, the Chamber will be tackling some specific projects that will further that vision found in all those plans,” he said. “The biggest thing we can do is push the city and the province the make all these great plans come to life in a timely, if not expedited, fashion. We have done this successfully with the economic strategy.”
A number of initiatives, transportation and economic strategies by way of the regional plan and HRMbyDesign are beginning to have an impact that Mayor Peter Kelly thinks youth will recognize as the wave of the future.
“Our growing work force is providing an increased demand, particularly in the IT and financial sectors,” Kelly said.
HRMbyDesign is meant to enhance the viability of the downtown. Over the coming years, Kelly says the Regional Plan will infuse $1.5 billion in economic activity to HRM, and a number of construction projects are already approved and underway, including development in Ragged Lake Business Park, Dartmouth Crossing and the newly approved King's Wharf project. In addition, the city's transportation strategy is focused on expanding into rural corridors.
“The rising number of retiring baby boomers means increased opportunities for youth to take a place in prominent positions,” Kelly said. “Through the regional plan, we will invest $148 million into transportation, which means growing our rapid transit and introducing the high-speed ferry.”
The regional plan sets to integrate land use planning with transportation planning in such a way that alternatives to driving become an easy choice, appealing to environmentally savvy youth.
Rose says the beauty of the vision of Halifax is that the city is at an ideal stage for change, and that's something he thinks young up-and-comers will recognize.
“These are all things that attract younger talented people from many different cultures and countries, as well as retain the young people who are lucky enough to already be here,” he said. “Whether by coincidence or by design, this is the right vision for the times. Now, we need to get on with it.”
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