Will New High School Graduates Leave Area With Their Diploma?

This weekend, more than 670 Highlands County students graduated into semi-adulthood. Armed with their high school diplomas, dreams and aspirations, many will leave the area to pursue higher studies or just find greener pastures.

Some will undoubtedly remain in Highlands County, drawn by family ties or just opportunities in family ventures. Almost a third of the county's high school graduates attend community college before continuing their studies or joining the workforce. So we may see a few faces here for two or three years as they continue their education at South Florida Community College. But eventually many of them will go where the jobs are - the good jobs - and unfortunately away from Highlands County.

Losing your youth is the worst kind of brain drain. But when you don't have the jobs they need to survive decently, what can be done?

Some blame government for not fostering economic development opportunities and drawing more high paying employers, but that is easier said than done.

High paying jobs require high-skilled workers, and we don't have the luxury of that job pool. Part of the problem is that we don't have a four-year university in the area that could supply such workers.

That really leaves SFCC and the schools to fill that vacuum. The school district's Career Academy, for instance, is a step in the right direction. SFCC already offers several vocational courses. Perhaps it needs to diversify the other way and offer more advanced classes, which would keep our students and future workers here in the area.

Right now our economy is in a shake-out as it adjusts to the housing crisis, the high gas prices, growing outsourcing and the popularity of the Internet.

Hopefully, when things are clearer, local entities could marshall forces and come up with a systematic plan to bring better-paying jobs in the area.

There's no formula on how to do it right except perhaps co-operation, diligence and some good marketing.