The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is setting goals for a more educated and employed population.
In the "CK Plan 2035" the municipality is looking to turn around the economic downturn it has experienced in the past and continue boosting employment rates, which were at an all time low in 2008.
Chatham-Kent also didn't do so well in the last Canadian census. Results showed that one in three young people are expected to leave the area.
To keep more youth in Chatham-Kent, Chief Administrative Officer Don Shropshire says education is his top priority.
"If we can try to help our students get a range of opportunities to get good educations so that they're prepared, then those folks are going to be looking forward to some great career opportunities. That in turn is going to make them want to stay in Chatham-Kent," explains Shropshire.
A large part of the community-plan is to continue opening up all kinds of job opportunities.
"We've got to make sure that we help students learn what they need to get in the way of an education. Let's be clear, this ranges from people with skilled trades, operators, millwrights, and so on, through to college education and university education," he adds.
Shropshire says the municipality created this 20-year project to set future generations up for success.
-With files from Natalia Vega