That is the hope of Bianca Welsh and James McKee, two of Northern Tasmania’s education ambassadors.

Education Ambassadors Tasmania was launched by Governor Kate Warner at Government House earlier this month and aims to improve the state’s poor retention rates.

Ambassadors will keep up with educational developments, stand up for the importance of education and encourage all young people to dream big and stay at school to get the skills and knowledge to realise their dreams.

Ms Welsh, who is the co-owner of Stillwater Restaurant and Black Cow Bistro, said she became an ambassador as education was an important topic for the state.

‘‘I left grade 10 in 2002 and the conversation was ‘Are you going to college? Oh maybe, maybe not’,’’ Ms Welsh said.

‘‘Now it should be, ‘What are you doing after year 12?’

‘‘As an employer, I am hoping to see some more skilled people come through.

‘‘To have younger people with skills up their sleeves is going to be more valuable for the industry and to boost the standards for the state.’’

Tourism Northern Tasmania chairman James McKee said he had a keen interest in lifting the state’s retention rate, as he wanted his three children to be educated here and not be restricted.

‘‘As chair of the tourism body, one of the things we find is the expectation is low,’’ Mr McKee, who is also the Northern Cities Major Development Initiative director, said.

‘‘So we end up with people who come into our tourism businesses who really don’t really see the world past Certificate II in something, because the system leads them to believe that that is the limit of their potential.

‘‘How do we change that story and change the conversation so that children coming through the system can see themselves getting much higher than that?’’

Both Mr McKee and Ms Welsh said it would be interesting to see how the state government’s plan to extend schools to year 12 worked out.

Ms Welsh said she remembered it being ‘‘quite daunting’’ going from high school to college and would like to see the transition better supported.

Mr McKee added that cities of learning, which had a good educational pathway, were not only economically better off, but also socially better off.

Other education ambassadors include most mayors, economist Saul Eslake, former Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association chief executive Jan Davis and developer Errol Stewart.

The ambassadors initiative was founded by professors Eleanor Ramsay and Michael Rowan and Kingborough councillor and former mayor Graham Bury.