This supplement provides some of the answers at a time when employers are starting to interview next spring's graduates.

Michigan's 15 four-year universities enroll 284,000 students. The state's 28 two-year community colleges have another 200,000. Add to the mix the thousands of students in private and independent colleges, and you begin to see the base of what could be Michigan's economic future.

Yet we all know of plenty of instances where young adults - neighbors, relatives or the children of colleagues and friends - have headed off to Chicago, Atlanta and the West Coast to start careers.

As baby boomers retire, Michigan will face a shortage of workers - 334,000 workers between the ages of 24 and 54 by 2012. That includes white-collar, skilled workers, especially in science, engineering and technical fields.

Early in her administration, Gov. Jennifer Granholm created the Commission on Higher Education and Economic Growth, chaired by Lt. Gov. John Cherry. The goal was to create strategies to increase the number of college graduates in the state and to entice them to live and work in the state after graduation. The commission hasn't issued its report, but based on interviews with college students, college placement directors and employers, the best chance to attract young talent to Michigan companies is to offer internships during the college years.

This supplement was created to serve two audiences: Employers who are in the hunt and college students approaching graduation.

Last month, Crain's Detroit Business reported on a study conducted by the Southfield office of the Gallup Organization that measured attitudes of, among others, adults between the ages of 18 and 24.

According to Gallup, 53 percent of the 18- to 24-year-olds polled believe metro Detroit offers advantages and opportunities to keep young and talented people from leaving. The national average for that question asked in other regions is 69 percent. That's a significant gap.

"Keeping the young and talented from leaving the area remains a challenge for Southeast Michigan," said Randall Beck, managing partner of The Gallup Organization.

Telling the stories of successful young people and creating an easy online way to match employers with job hunters and intern candidates may be a good start.