Northern Ontario colleges band together to help keep graduates here

Six colleges in northern Ontario are collaborating on a program to help new graduates find full-time work in the region.

The employment liaison officer of StayNorth the name given to the post-secondary college collaboration said students fill out an online questionnaire about their education, their experience and where they'd like to live.

The sixcolleges:

• ConfederationCollege
• Sault College
• College Boreal
• Cambrian College
• Northern College
• CanadoreCollege

Alex Rogerson said it's important that, if students learn a skill in northern Ontario, they also have the chance to practise it here.

Rogerson said she goes through StayNorth's employer files and looks for a possible match to bring the two together.

"Some employers, who have recruited from southern Ontario, have brought individuals up and they're not really in it for the long haul," she told CBC News.

"They come for experience, but always want to go back to southern Ontario. So it's really getting the students who want to be there and will be great value to their company."

More than 100 students have registered with StayNorth, but said she won't know how many found jobs through the program until after this spring's graduation.