Upon graduation young professionals are quick to leave Dane County, according to a recent study.
Madison Magnet, a group involved with the development of young professionals, conducted a study of 25-to-34-year-olds to find out whether graduates stay in the area following their university experience. The results revealed that 47 percent of those studied relocated to neighboring counties.
Although this news could be discouraging to some, select officials believe this is not an accurate reflection of Dane County because there are other deciding factors.
UW System President Kevin Reilly said the statistics do not tell the entire story. Despite the numbers with regard to county residency, Reilly said the majority of graduates remain in the state to live and work, although they may leave Dane County.
\The fact of the matter is that 80 percent of Wisconsin residents that start as freshman in the UW System are still living and working within the state,"" Reilly said.
As far as Reilly is concerned, the problem lies with bringing people into Dane County, not having them leave it.
""What the university needs to do is figure out a way to attract more people to the state for education,"" he said.
Lesley Sillaman, spokesperson for County Executive Kathleen Falk, said taking time away from Madison is good for people.
""It's great that people recognize that there are opportunities outside the world of Madison,"" she said.
Sillaman also stated it is important to note the age range of the people that are leaving Dane County. Often, young professionals leave Madison to establish themselves, but return when it is time to start a family.
""People want to come back and raise their kids here because of the great quality of life,"" she said. ""People appreciate coming back to a county that works hard to preserve land and natural resources.""
UW-Madison Masters of Business Administration student Erin Carter, who graduates in May, said her decision to accept a position at Miller Brewery in Milwaukee included location, salary and opportunity.
""My family is in Milwaukee, and so is my significant other,"" she said.
Carter, who did her undergraduate study at UW-Madison, added job opportunities in her particular field were limited in Madison, making Milwaukee an attractive alternative.
""If you want to get into politics, be a lawyer, [if you] are going into health care or bio-tech, this is a great place,"" Carter said. ""But there're not a ton of opportunities in my field in Madison.""
Sillaman said the focus is not on preventing young professionals from leaving Dane County, but ensuring they will return in the future.
""We are appreciative of the research that has been done and we plan on working with Madison Magnet to find out what we can do,"" she said. ""Now that we've identified the problem, we must figure out if they are leaving, where they are going, why, and how we can make them come back.\
