Stay Work Play NH, Inc.

Encouraging More Young Workers to Launch Their Careers Here

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Overview: New Hampshire is a great state in which to live, ranking very highly in terms of health, safety, low taxes, personal income, and livability. Most individuals who attend college here or visit from another state recall positive experiences vacationing or exploring New Hampshire. They also want to stay or return here later in life. But currently, only about half of the state’s college graduates actually do stay.

The goal of Stay Work Play NH is to expose more young people to the advantages of remaining in or returning to New Hampshire. The overall effort builds off the work of the University System of New Hampshire (USNH) and partnering organizations that established the 55% Initiative in 2007. This effort set a goal of encouraging at least 55% of the new graduates to stay compared to approximately 50% who currently stay.

Stay Work Play NH, Inc. (SWP NH) was established as a nonprofit organization in April 2009 to further the 55% Initiative, support and advance several recommendations made by the Governor’s Task Force on Young Worker Retention in the spring of 2009, and serve as an independent organization to run a website and associated marketing effort geared at providing comprehensive information on what New Hampshire can offer to the 20-30 year old demographic in terms of staying, working, and playing here.

SWP NH was incorporated by the heads of five prominent statewide organizations – USNH, the NH College and University Council, the Business and Industry Association of NH, the NH High Technology Council, and the NH Department of Resources and Economic Development. It is governed by a Board of Directors that includes representation from the five incorporating organizations, several of the state’s young professionals’ networks, and the task force.

The primary focus for the organization for 2009 is the development and launch of the Stay Work Play web site at www.stayworkplay.org. Designed as a destination site for the 20-30 year old market, this website will include robust content around the three major themes, links to employment tools and opportunities, and social marketing tools and services. Current plans call for launching this web site in the fall 2009.

The web site will be closely linked with a new service called Job Rocket, which is being developed to match up the attributes and skills of new graduates and young professionals with jobs in New Hampshire. The partnership with Job Rocket provides the website with a unique and attractive feature for the target audience and a built in revenue model to help support SWP NH.

Other efforts that will be led by SWP NH include managing and promoting a new corporate incentive to encourage companies to hire new and recent grads in the state. The “Stay Work Play Incentive Program” will promote companies through the web site that agree to hire new or recent grads and pay off up to $8,000 of student debt if they stay with the organization for a certain period.

Stay Work Play NH Mission Statement:

“To work collaboratively across New Hampshire to support ongoing economic, workforce, and community development by promoting the state as a favorable place for young workers and recent college graduates to stay, work and play, when considering employment and lifestyle opportunities.”
- approved, April 9, 2009