It’s not all bad
Youth leaving province can be positive for N.L., some say
After high school, Chris Mitchelmore wanted to leave Newfoundland and Labrador to pursue opportunities, too.
He left his hometown of Green Island Cove — population 185 — to attend MUN, and during his studies he spent some time at the Harlow, England, campus. He also did an exchange in the Czech Republic. He went on to work in Alberta for some time before coming back to the place he calls home in 2009. He now lives on the Great Northern Peninsula again.
Mitchelmore, now the minis- ter of Tourism, Culture, Innovation and Industry, can relate to the many high school graduates who told The Telegram recently that they plan to leave the province in the long term. About two-thirds of the 82 grads from around the province who completed a survey had plans to leave for good.
But when he spoke with The Telegram about it, Mitchelmore didn’t seem particularly surprised, or concerned.
“This type of migration can improve skill and expertise in areas that might not be available otherwise, and it also means experiencing ideas and cultures that increase perspective and can lead to product or service improvement.” Deidre Ayre, Other Ocean Group
“I think it’s OK sometimes for our younger people to leave and get that experience. Because when I left, I did not think that I’d be back in Newfoundland and Labrador today. And I worked in Alberta, and after being away and gaining some experience, you realize how great your province, your home town, really is,” he said.
Deirdre Ayre of Other Ocean Group said when young people leave the province it can actually benefit Newfoundland and Labrador. She said there’s research to show businesses can benefit from having a diverse and global workforce.
“That can be achieved by having inclusive policies and welcoming international talent, but it also helps to encourage young minds from our province to experience life outside Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada,” she said. “This type of migration can improve skill and expertise in areas that might not be available otherwise, and it also means experiencing ideas and cultures that increase perspective and can lead to product or service improvement. Simply put, if we have a wider view and understanding of the global marketplace, it makes us better able to meet the needs and demands of our increasingly diverse customers. I think this can be applied to just about every industry.”
She said it’s also important to recognize the contributions made by a lot of people who don’t come back, too.
“Newfoundlanders and Labradorians living throughout Canada and around the world create a network of friendly faces that can assist in promoting our products and services. The pride and loyalty that is inherent to most who have lived here can be a very valuable resource to draw on, whether it be assisting in developing export markets, making introductions to potential clients and customers, raising capital, or just sharing professional experience.”
“But one of the really exciting things that I’ve seen here in our province is the technology sector, and the ecosystem that’s been built around innovation. There are hundreds of companies here in the St John’s area that (are) dealing with technology or playing in that space, whether it’s with oceans, whether it’s with sensors.” Innovation Minister Chris Mitchelmore
Jobs
As part of his work, Mitchelmore travels around the province, getting a first-row view of what business opportunities are, and aren’t yet, available here.
“I think that from what I see, there’s opportunity in every nook and cranny across Newfoundland and Labrador, and sometimes you have to go away to see it. But we’re going to do the best job we can to really promote Newfoundland and Labrador as a rare find,” he told The Telegram.
The results of the grad survey pointed to a lack of jobs as a primary reason to want to leave this province. One grad talked about brain drain. And while Mitchelmore allows that certain sectors — particularly the technology sector — sometimes face issues in recruiting people with the right skillset, he sees a lot of good happening, too. Notable projects
First, he highlights a few notable projects in more traditional sectors: in oil and gas, he said, the West White Rose Project is breathing confidence into offshore development; mining activity is expanding, like at the Anaconda Mine in Baie Verte; and 64,000 hectares of land became available for agricultural development.
“And then you look at aquaculture and the plan to grow that,” he said.
“But one of the really exciting things that I’ve seen here in our province is the technology sector, and the ecosystem that’s been built around innovation. There are hundreds of companies here in the St John’s area that (are) dealing with technology or playing in that space, whether it’s with oceans, whether it’s with sensors.”
He has toured a number of these businesses, and says there are a lot of talented young people working for them, many with computer science or engineering degrees.
“And then we have export potential. I just came from the U.K. and the Netherlands on a trade mission, and we do basically over a billion dollars’ worth of export to those two countries. And it’s quite significant, the opportunities that exist and the connectivity that we have to do business abroad,” he said.
He said the arts and cultural community is growing, too, with about $450 million of our GDP and 5,000 of our jobs attributed to cultural industries. He said the expansion of film in the province translated to $46 million in production last year.
“And that talent pool is growing, and it’s creating a vibrancy and hub here, primarily in the capital region. But these are opportunities for young people, and there’s a lot, where people can live, play and work here in St. John’s — they don’t have to go away to experience and to make a good living.”
He said there are plans to create hubs in different regions of the province where economic development in particular sectors can be fostered. On the Avalon Peninsula, ocean tech will be the focus; on the Burin Peninsula, Clarenville and Port of Argentia area, industrial activity will be looked at; defence and aerospace will be key in the Gander area; agriculture, agrifoods and forestry products will be the focus in the Corner Brook area; and the Northern Peninsula and Southern Labrador will concentrate on tourism and fisheries.
But every industry in the province depends on the talent pool available, and while Mitchelmore isn’t panicked to see young people continue to leave the province, he is counting on a lot of them coming home like he did.
Recruiting millennials
Ayre knows a thing or two about recruiting talent. Other Ocean has offices in St. John’s, Charlottetown, P.E.I., and Emery, California, and St. John’s is the home of its game development studio. Ayre said when recruiting talented workers — and in trying to retain them — it’s important to remember millenials want options. Having a cluster of companies doing similar work in the same area could inspire more confidence in both the employers and employees.
“People want to know, when choosing to settle, that if things don’t work out with one company that they have other meaningful options. As well, companies who are setting up, or larger companies opening satellite offices, want to know that there is a base of skilled and experienced talent to draw from and progressive educational institutions willing to work with industry to help scale.”
Growing a cluster can be difficult here, though.
“Most companies operating in our space will not seriously consider a jurisdiction where there is not a proven track record of positive collaboration from educators and government. Jurisdictions that use red tape as an excuse for laborious processes in areas such as curriculum development, immigration or incentives will not successfully compete with other more progressive and efficient jurisdictions. Companies will simply go elsewhere and so will the talent,” she said.
It takes more than one or two options to make millennials want to move here, or return here, she said, and it’s not realistic for those who are already here to expect to be with one company for their whole career.
“So it isn’t good enough, if the province wants to attract big numbers and retain the majority of these people, to just find them a good job. Most need to know that there is some chance of a second or third meaningful job, too,” she said.