When Hawai'i's best and brightest leave home to pursue an education and careers elsewhere, many with no intention of returning, the state loses its most precious resource.

That's why it's good to see two state agencies working on programs to keep more of Hawai'i's graduates in Hawai'i. The Department of Education and the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism have joined forces in an Internet-based project called "Kama'aina Come Home."

Through use of Internet Web sites, the project provides a venue for alumni from local high schools to stay connected with friends, the Islands and local job leads.

Privacy issues shouldn't apply, as the program is self-selected, and the technology used isn't exactly a GPS tracking chip. Already students from high schools like Castle, Kahuku, Moanalua, Sacred Hearts Academy and Saint Louis School are using the Web technology.

The challenge will be getting enough alums to sign up. That won't happen unless the site provides rich content with a healthy list of well-paying jobs. That, in turn, is a cue to our business leaders, who must continue to focus on diversifying Hawai'i's economy. The state must expand well beyond a service-based economy and into areas with promising futures, such as biotechnology, life sciences research and alternative-energy development.

In truth, keeping track of Hawai'i alums is probably the easier problem to solve. Beyond that, maintaining a strong pool of well-paying jobs with more promising career options and working to ease the housing crunch that keeps owning a home out of reach for many are all bigger issues that need to be addressed to stem the brain drain.

Ties to family aren't enough to lure locals who live abroad. Good news about opportunities in Hawai'i stand a better chance of convincing them it's time to come home.