Minnesota State Colleges and Universities officials are calling it a talent crisis.

All across the state, there are businesses that want to grow, but because they are having trouble finding talented workers, it is difficult to do so.

Add to that the fact that over the next 15 years, 1.3 million Minnesotans are expected to retire, and that all of those people will need to be replaced with people who have an even higher level of skills.

As if that statistic wasn’t sobering enough, here are a few more:

• According to MnSCU Chancellor Steven Rosenstone, since 2010, there has been an 8 percent drop in the number of high school graduates in Minnesota.

• One-fifth of freshmen don’t finish high school on time. Out of those who do graduate and go to college, 21 percent leave Minnesota. When they leave, there’s a chance they won’t come back.

• The state’s population is slowing to the lowest growth rate in the history of the state.

• 70 percent of all of the population growth is coming from communities of color; however, this population in the state has one of the worst achievement gaps.

• 40 percent of the graduates from communities of color do not graduate high school on time.

If we sit back and simply watch as this crisis expands, businesses will be in trouble — and with that, so will communities.

Instead of allowing that to happen, MnSCU has developed a three-part plan to solve this crisis.

It hopes to provide access to its colleges across the state to as many people as possible. It has 54 campuses in 47 communities.

Second, it hopes to provide affordability, and third it is focused on talent and making sure that graduates are prepared for jobs and to meet the needs of businesses across the state.

Rosenstone said when he started as chancellor in 2012, he had listening sessions across the state in partnership with the Department of Employment and Economic Development and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. Colleges have added courses based on what was discovered in the communities.

They have also launched a data system where higher education officials, workforce centers, chamber directors and leaders of other organizations can go to be aware of job needs.

Part of the problem is figuring out what to do to help young people understand that there are hundreds of jobs available in the community that are going unfilled.

As Rosenstone said, “We can’t afford to leave anybody behind.”

Everyone who’s going to high school needs to graduate on time, be prepared for higher education and be career-ready with a career plan. These youth need to see the benefits of staying in the community, such as affordability. They might even have the chance for some local businesses to pay a share of their costs.

State and local officials need help talking with the next generation of workers to let them know of all of the opportunities available to them — many of which are in our very own community. We also need to spread the word to any displaced workers or new residents in the area.

Everyone in the area needs to come on board to shout this from the rooftops.