Talent: Retain & Return

The announcement of Atmel's semiconductor plant sale and resultant job losses is a devastating blow to the workers and their families and has made Talent Retention a headline issue for the regional authorities, as well as the companies operating within the North East

Someone, somewhere has read the script. Reading the Chronicle on my way home from work on Tuesday I was struck by the headline and opening salvo in this article.

'Save Our Skills',

'Help keep hundreds of skilled workers in the North East'.

Whilst maintaining the key priority of looking after the immediate needs of the families affected by this news, One North East and the NECC have got one eye on the bigger picture.

Retaining people and their skills within the region is a big deal. A succesful, iconic region will go some way to attracting people to live and work here, accelerating the prosperity of the local economy - but if the considerable existing skills already in place are lost, maybe forever, the North East will be running to stand still. It is vital that we retain and build on the talent of the people already in the region, whilst providing an environment that attracts the best from elsewhere.

The War for Talent has been in full flow for several years now, and has become a regional, as well as corporate battleground.

Providing the right environment to attract talent requires understanding, and the launch of the North East Talent Return Room this week should go some way to providing that. It's motivation is simple - quantify the factors that take people away from the region, and define what can be done to bring them back. There is no doubting the affinity that natives have with the North East, but affinity only goes so far when making decisions for an individual's and their family's wellbeing. All opinions are welcome, so please fill in the survey by following the link below.

North East Talent Return Room

• Post to:
•  del.icio.us
•  Digg
•  Newsvine
•  Nowpublic
•  Reddit