Durango’s biggest export isn’t craft beer or mountain views – it’s our young people. Every May, when graduates receive their diplomas, they often also pick up a one-way ticket out of town.
During my internship at the La Plata Economic Development Alliance, I noticed a common sentiment among local businesses – a struggle to recruit a skilled workforce that allows companies to grow. Yet the solution might be closer than we think: investing in young people before their careers even begin. This means creating more internships, mentorships and early-career opportunities.
Rather than looking for workers outside the area, I urge businesses to try to build talent pipelines that use the young people already here in our community. By investing in young talent now, businesses give themselves the chance to grow alongside the next generation of professionals while reducing long-term recruitment costs and employee turnover.
I can speak on the importance of internships based on my time with the Alliance. Through my internship, I developed practical skills in building and executing communications and marketing plans while supporting the coordination of the Alliance’s annual summit. Being trusted with meaningful responsibility has helped prepare me for my career and strengthened my chances of finding a job after graduation. If more opportunities like these were available for my peers, there would be more success finding jobs postgrad.
The disconnect between local talent and local hiring becomes clear when looking at the number of graduates produced right here in Durango. Fort Lewis College generates hundreds of capable, motivated graduates each year. Roughly 500 students complete their degrees across the fall and spring semesters, with business administration, psychology and environmental conservation & management being the most popular majors.
Yet over the past two years on average, only about 23% of graduates reported having a job lined up at graduation, even as La Plata County faces persistent workforce gaps. Hesitancy to hire early-career candidates leaves many students with too few entry-level opportunities, pushing them to leave the region. Expanding internships and early-career roles in our area is crucial if we want to keep more of these young professionals in our community.
For young professionals and businesses alike, internships should be a high-return investment for all parties involved. They allow students to be trained early in industry-specific skills and businesses to “test drive” potential employees before committing to hiring. When businesses invest in the development of local talent who want to remain in our community, they ultimately reduce their onboarding costs over time. In a region where recruiting externally is expensive and often unsuccessful, growing talent from within is not just smart – it’s necessary.
Some businesses may feel they don’t have the capacity or resources to take on an intern, and that concern is valid. Many organizations need experienced workers now and worry they lack the time or funding to build a talent pipeline. But the long-term cost of doing nothing may be higher. If businesses don’t take action to train upcoming workers, the workforce shortage will only continue. Fortunately, there are support systems that make paid internships possible even for businesses with tighter budgets.
The Alliance and FLC have offered programs that fund intern wages, helping offset the cost of hosting a student. These programs create an incredible opportunity for organizations to bring in early-career talent while also giving students meaningful opportunities to grow. Investing in internship opportunities is a practical step toward building systems that develop young professionals and help close our region’s workforce gaps. Project RUN is a workforce development program led by the Alliance that is providing area job training and internship support in partnership with FLC, the Collaborative and Pueblo Community College.
Durango doesn’t have to keep exporting its young professionals. By providing more early-career opportunities and investing in our emerging workforce, we can solve our gap in the workforce while also supporting the long-term vitality of our community. Growing up in Bayfield and then attending FLC, I was frequently faced with the perspective that I would have to leave in order to start and grow my career. But because organizations, including the Alliance, invested in my development through internship positions, I feel more confident in my local career opportunities. I’ve grown my skills and made connections that I otherwise would not have.
If you are a business owner in La Plata County, consider creating an internship or early-career opportunity for my peers. Build the workforce you wish you had. By doing so, you can help ensure Durango’s most valuable export stays invested in our community.
Emaliah Sawyer is a junior at Fort Lewis College, majoring in business economics with a minor in marketing, and a lifelong La Plata County resident.
