When our region doesn’t have enough people, everyone’s quality of life is affected. Schools have trouble hiring teachers; assisted living facilities are short-staffed; local committees can’t find enough volunteers. The data and community conversations that went into our regional comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS) identified growing our population as essential to a thriving economy and reversing decades of population decline.
BDCC has been doing relocation and retention work for many years as part of a suite of workforce and community development programs driven by our CEDS. These programs currently include career readiness programming for high schoolers, the Southern Vermont Young Professionals, upskilling for adult workers, and refugee resettlement. We’ve also run and participated in a wide range of related initiatives, from the state’s Stay to Stay program and Think Vermont to the regional SoVermont collaborative marketing campaigns, Vermont Welcome Wagon, and our own Targeted Expertise Recruitment and Retention support for employers. Strategies and best practices have evolved through work with regional partners such as village and downtown organizations and chambers of commerce.
