Connecting highly-trained immigrants to the jobs needed in the US NBC Boston [Video]

It’s called brain waste – when foreign professionals come to the United States and end up in low-skilled jobs that don’t take advantage of their training. The African Bridge Network is working to change that.

The work can benefit not only the individuals coming in, but the broader economy as well.

“When you move in, you experience what we call the initial downgrade. You don’t get to do the same level of job of your degree and professional experience,” explained Emmanuel Owusu, the organization’s founder and executive director.

“It’s a social justice question, but it’s also a purely economic one to get the best out of the people who are here,” adds Dr. Mark Melnick of the UMass Donahue Institute.

Owusu, who experienced the initial downgrade himself when he arrived in the U.S. from Ghana 20 years ago as an urban planner. He had strong family connections and support to …