Rob Crowe enjoyed every second he spent at university in Liverpool - he fell in love with the city.
Originally from Worcester, he ventured up north in 2014 to study Maths at the University of Liverpool.
Rob hadn't decided exactly what line of work he wanted to get into and wanted to keep his options open with a Maths degree.
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As his years at the university progressed, Rob decided he wanted to move into the engineering world when he graduated - in particular in the house building sector.
He began to look for graduate schemes and roles in the city he now called home, but frustratingly found nothing.
Rob explained: "I absolutely loved my time in Liverpool, the whole culture of the city is just amazing.
"But when I was looking at graduate schemes or opportunities in engineering I looked all over the country and there really wasn't anything in Liverpool, which I had put down as a preferred location, because I wanted to stay.
"I don't think any of the major house builders have an office in Liverpool."
Reluctantly, Rob decided he would have to leave the city and move south, landing a graduate role that took him to Watford, Bristol and Cardiff before settling into a permanent position as a civil engineer in Milton Keynes.
Now 26, he still regularly visits Liverpool but doesn't see many prospects of being able to move back here to work in his chosen field.
Rob added: "Where I am now, there are so many opportunities in engineering down here because so many big projects are taking place, with lots of investment.
"It's disappointing that we are not seeing the same thing happen in the North West."
Rob's story is far from unique.
George Growcott came to Liverpool from North Wales in 2015 to begin his degree in mechanical engineering.
He said: "I loved every moment of my four years in Liverpool. I'll always consider it a home from home. I met wonderful people and had incredible experiences through both university and living in the city.
"I did want to stay as close as possible to the general area as it's where I consider home to be and at the time I was in a relationship with someone from the area.
"Unfortunately, graduate engineering roles are extremely competitive and there wasn't a huge amount to apply for in the area - the majority are down south. I did consider the option of further study with a PhD, but I wasn't getting any younger and needed to start earning."
Like Rob, George ended up moving to Milton Keynes for a graduate role, it was the only offer he received from countless applications.
He added: "Frankly, I couldn't say no to such an offer. I now live in Milton Keynes which is a world apart to the lively and genuine culture of Liverpool."
George, 30, said he's now in something of a Catch 22 situation, where he is bringing in a good salary but cannot afford to buy a property due to high prices in the south of England.
He added: "But if I moved back up north, I would likely have to take a wage hit and then struggle to save for a house."
The concept and the challenge of the Liverpool 'brain drain' is not a new one.
For some time now the city has struggled to match its world-famous cultural offering with the ability to both attract, develop and crucially retain high-skilled talent.
In a report published in 2017, the Centre for Cities think tank found that Liverpool's migration patterns were dominated by movements of university students and graduates.
In general, Liverpool's inflow of students who come to study at the city's highly rated universities and experience the renowned culture and social life, was followed by an outflow of degree holders.
The report, which was supported by the city council and University of Liverpool, found that improving the job opportunities available to graduates would improve the city's ability to retain graduates in a move that would ultimately boost the city and region's economy.
Latest data from the Office from National Statistics show that in 2020, there was a net gain of 4,669 19-year-olds into Liverpool, but a net loss of 1,757 22-year-olds, with close to a third of those in that particular age bracket heading for London or Manchester after graduation.
Of course, this issue should not focus on attracting - and retaining - graduates from outside the city and city region, but also on those who grew up here and choose to stay for their degree courses.
Hannah Stevenson is from Seaforth.
She studied Criminology and Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University, followed by a masters in Health Psychology.
She said: "I absolutely loved my university experience in Liverpool and part of the reason I did a masters here was because I wanted to stay longer."
Having specialised in areas of research and statistical analysis, with a strong health emphasis, Hannah found herself having to leave the city region she was born in and head down the M62 to Manchester to find a role suited to her qualifications and ambitions.
She said: "I didn't ever really want to leave Liverpool and if I could have found the place to start my career in the city then I think I would have.
"It feels like Liverpool does need more of those big companies and big employers offering those graduate roles to really move forward."
These accounts only tell one side of the story - and there are many graduates who do go on to find jobs and positions in Liverpool that they believe can take their careers forward.
Fuad Hasan didn't imagine he would end up staying in Liverpool after his degree, having come to the city from London to study International Politics at the University of Liverpool.
A huge Liverpool Football Club fan, he met some of the figures behind the hugely successful Anfield Wrap podcast and began to work for one of the city's biggest creative success stories alongside his studies.
Fuad, now 23, said: "The friendships I developed working in The Anfield Wrap, as well as the excitement of working in a fast paced, independent organisation in football, drove my desire to stay in Liverpool.
"I was made to feel very welcome and given a lot of opportunities in a fast growing, ambitious business. I’d say continuing to live in Liverpool became my plan in my final two years of university."
But Fuad thinks he was lucky to find a dream role in the city he loves and said many of his fellow students were not.
He added: "Because of how many students fall in love with the city, it seems to me that many actually do a masters just so they can stay another year.
"Those that go onto work after their undergraduate degree are immediately drawn to London and Manchester because they think that most careers are to be found there.
"I think a lot would stay in Liverpool if they felt that there were more opportunities in a wider range of industries."
He added: "Most of the people I know, who have remained here to work, have settled into jobs in hospitality. That seems to me to be the biggest employer for those graduates who just really want to continue living in Liverpool after university. I think my case is pretty rare and I have been very lucky."
Fuad is correct to say that it is Liverpool's hospitality sector alongside the wider visitor and tourism offering that has turbo-charged the city's renaissance from the difficult days of the 1980s and 90s.
Before the pandemic, the city's visitor economy was worth around £3.5 billion having continued to grow significantly in the decade following the 2008 Capital of Culture year.
The pandemic and the lockdowns that came with it showed just how brilliant these sectors are because of how much we missed them when they weren't around.
But the crisis also highlighted just how reliant the city's economy is on those particular sectors.
It is clear that Liverpool's economy needs to be more diverse and more robust and the feeling in the city is that this will happen in the areas of life sciences, health and the city's growing Knowledge Economy - as well as the continued success of independent and creative businesses that are already flourishing.
The pandemic saw Liverpool lead the way on projects like mass testing and pilot covid-safe events, which showed the world how much progress has been made locally in these areas.
Colin Sinclair is the Chief Executive of Liverpool's Knowledge Quarter, a 450-acre innovation district in the city centre that is home to some world-leading centres in science, health, technology and education.
He said Liverpool's emergence as a cultural beacon has actually helped to grow the city's knowledge economy that will now be so important for its future.
He said: "Liverpool is a city regenerated on culture, tourism and the visitor economy and everything from the Capital of Culture onwards.
"What people didn't really notice, was the bit up the hill. Everyone knew the waterfront and that the centre of the city needed some regeneration but people hadn't noticed how much the knowledge economy was growing.
"Everyone knew that the visitor economy, the night-time economy depended a lot on students, but they were over there - and they didn't really think that the universities are more than just the students.
"But we've got one of the world's leading research universities in the University of Liverpool and one of the biggest applied universities in Liverpool John Moores. Not to mention the world leading school of tropical medicine.
"Students reinforced the leisure stuff and the improving brand of the visitor and tourism economy attracted more students to the city and with that better academics."
The Knowledge Quarter was launched as an organisation five years ago and Colin said the initial idea was to look at where Liverpool was already world class - and push on from there.
Little did anyone know that these specialisms - infectious diseases, data science, public health - would go on to become so essential as the city went to battle with its biggest threat in a generation.
Colin added: "In a funny way, the things that we were really good at in health and life sciences going into the pandemic are what is helping us probably grow faster out of it than any other UK city."
In terms of continuing progress, he pointed to the Liverpool Science Park on Mount Pleasant - which was loss making a few years ago and is now completely full with science and tech firms and organisations.
Another emerging success story is Paddington Village and the new Spine Building, which is now home to the Royal College of Physicians and a Pandemic Institute.
This direction is one that has seen Liverpool John Moores University graduate Ryan McKernan progress in his career and life in the city.
The 27-year-old wanted to leave his home in Northern Ireland and felt Liverpool was the perfect place to live, work and study.
And having gained a degree in marketing, he now works with the Champs Public Health collaborative, which brings together Merseyside and Cheshire public health directors to push out important messages.
Ryan, who is now working towards a part-time masters, said: "I had no intention of leaving Liverpool after my studies, it is somewhere where I really feel at home.
"I think there are more opportunities coming through in areas like public health and life sciences now, I think that's the direction the city is going in.
"In some ways I think that fits Liverpool better than some of the more dog-eat-dog sectors and corporations you see elsewhere, I don't think they fit Liverpool's brand well."
As well as the growth areas of life sciences and the knowledge economy, another area where Liverpool has strengths is in its Small and Medium Sized businesses (SMEs) and the undoubted entrepreneurial spirit on show in the city.
Dr Paul Redmond, Director of Student Experience and Enhancement at the University of Liverpool said there is now much more work going on to link up the university with these businesses in terms of graduate opportunities.
He said: "We also have our LCR Grad Scheme which connects students and graduates with Small and Medium sized businesses in the city region.
"There are so many great opportunities with SMEs where graduates can take on lots of responsibility at an early stage.
"We also have found that Liverpool is a great place to set up and start businesses and so many of our students are entrepreneurial and we have some great programmes to support them with that.
"And obviously things have changed because of the pandemic, in many cases you can live in Liverpool and work all over the country or even the world because of home working."
He added: "I think things are really improving in terms of retaining graduates in Liverpool."
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