A new survey shows that New Hampshire’s college seniors and recent graduates view the state as a nice place to live, but don’t see a lot of jobs here.
The university system and business leaders have come together to try to encourage college graduates to stay in the state. They’d like to increase the retention rate from 50 percent to 55 percent. Thus the group’s name: The 55 Percent Initiative.
The first step was the survey. It found that both in-state and out-of-state students say New Hampshire has high quality of life, is a good place to raise a family, and has good proximity to natural resources, and available housing.
But 40 percent of graduates say they believe there were few or no jobs in their field in New Hampshire.
The initiative is working with students at the University of New Hampshire, Plymouth State University and Keene State College to develop a marketing campaign aimed at retaining seniors and recent graduates.