Two stories, maybe they’re related, maybe they’re not. But they seemed to compliment each other. The Evansville Courier Press has a story entitled Indiana Has a Hard Time Keeping College Graduates According to the story, Indiana ranks 46th in the nation in terms of adults with college education. 21.1% of adult Hoosiers have a college degree, compared to a nationwide average of 28%. But it’s not because we don’t educate our kids. 63% of Hoosier high school graduates go on to college, 10th in the country. But they don’t graduate and they don’t stay – Barely half graduate within 6 years and, of those who do, 20% leave for other states. The article says that the jobs for graduates are located elsewhere, and the manufacturing jobs we did have are going away.
After reading that, I was struck by a story in the Palladium-Item reporting that Lt. Governor Becky Skillman was touting farming growth as a major component of her administration’s economic plan.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t see agriculture keeping our kids who graduate in the state. Perhaps our economic development resources should be directed elsewhere.
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