According to the article by Marco Magnani, published on the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore on 11th July, the so-called “brain drain” makes a negative account for our country, for that there are more people who emigrate, than those who return. This means that, based on the data, those who return to Italy after leaving the country to find opportunities abroad – mostly in the UK, in Germany and the United States – are only 40% of the whole.
This depends not just on the ability of a country to attract new talents, but ab origine on universities and companies. If universities could attract new talents, the exiting flow could be reduced in the long run, and a virtuous circle to make people and the country grow can eventually start.
Our role as educators forces us to contribute to start the engine of this virtuous circle and to make us better, so that we can represent real poles of attraction for foreign talents. In particular, giving the correct value to skills and merit, paying appropriately the human capital. The scarce acknowledgment of resources, Magnani says, provides one of the main reasons for young professionals to find better opportunities somewhere else.
In LUISS, we constantly keep very clear in mind the necessity to meet the needs of the parts, making education and firms “talk” to each other in a mutual exchange. To create flexible curricula, able to change quickly to fulfil the companies’ needs for recruitment, represents a first crucial step to reduce the flow of those young and skilled people, who bring their energies and abilities where they feel more engaged in their work.
Let us learn how to listen to the young people, to address them, and to help them in making the most of their resources for the sake of their country, without forcing them to move away.