Pete A: Let’s bring our children back

Washington Rep. Pete A. Tenorio called on local leaders to come together and strategize on how to stop the exodus of local professionals, especially young people, from the islands in pursuit of greener pastures elsewhere.

“The CNMI is suffering from brain drain, a chronic condition caused by a lack of employment and opportunities for our young people,” said Tenorio in his 2005 report to the CNMI Legislature Thursday.

He blamed this phenomenon on the lack of jobs in government and low pay in the private sector.

The private sector pays a minimum of $3.05 per hour since 1996.

Tenorio said the “brain drain” problem must be dealt with and not ignored. “Collectively we must work toward a goal of a vibrant economy that is built upon the skills of our own people. Let’s bring our children back.”

The government has launched various programs to boost the development of the local workforce and lessen the economy’s dependence on guest workers.

Two years ago, the administration submitted a $900,000-CNMI’s Workforce Management Improvement Plan, which contains specific steps “to increase the employment and upward mobility of our local residents” to the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Primarily, the framework for developing the goals focused on the need “to positively change the awareness, attitudes and skills for employers, employees and prospective employees.”

WMIP wanted to increase the percent of local residents employed in the tourism industry and other major sectors; improve local resident attitudes about the tourism industry and other major sectors; and increase public and private partnerships in developing education and training programs.

The plan also aimed to develop a comprehensive training center at Northern Marianas College to accommodate all training needs of the private and public sectors and the whole community by 2005; increase the CNMI’s graduation rate of local residents in professional, semi-professional and technical fields; successfully place 50 percent of unemployed local resident worker clients of WIA in private sector jobs within 180 days of enrollment by 2006; increase the number and percent of Public School System graduates going to postsecondary education and/or employment in the private sector; and increase the number and percent of locally owned business.