Opinion

Troubles at home

Solving Maine's education and employment problems

By Jennifer Gundersen

Posted on Jan. 30, 2003, at 12:00 a.m.

Maine will soon be losing some more of its brilliant, young minds.

Come May 17, I, along with many other graduates, will become another statistic in the startling trend that finds Maine’s young people heading south in search of more fruitful endeavors.

Can you blame us? The weather is enough to drive people away. Why deal with all the snow in Maine when I could be dodging hurricanes in Florida, wildfires in the west or earthquakes in California? The weather, coupled with the fact that we are completely isolated from any urban center in the country, makes me want to pack up a U-Haul today.

However, I have stuck around this long without losing a finger to frostbite and I have put my faith in a state education, so the idea of staying in Maine isn’t a horrifying idea. Some changes need to be made first though.

In his inauguration address earlier this month, our new fearless leader, Gov. John Baldacci, talked about forming a committee with Maine’s young people to form a plan on how to make staying near home after graduation a more appealing prospect.

Well I can tell him: We are looking for a state that is a little more profitable. Right now, it seems nearly impossible to find jobs in the area. A comparison of the help wanted pages from Massachusetts, southern Maine and northern Maine newspapers is proof enough of this fact. Add the recent shutdowns of manufacturing plants across the state, including the Great Northern Paper mill in Millinocket and Hathaway Shirt Co. in Waterville, and the job hunt seems almost hopeless for both young graduates and seasoned professionals.

I see no quick fix for this problem, but I do know that the solution must start with improving the education system, particularly in encouraging more people to seek higher education. In order for Maine to attract new businesses within its borders — especially north of Lewiston — the state must be able to provide a skilled workforce willing to man their offices. As of right now, already two-thirds of Maine’s employers say they have a hard time finding skilled workers to fill positions.

According to a speech concerning education made by Gov. Baldacci, the level of attainment of higher education degrees remains low in this state — only 24 percent have earned their bachelor’s degree, and the Maine Department of Labor predicts that 15 percent of new jobs are going to require at least an associate’s degree. It is imperative that we start training high school graduates and those wishing to increase their education in the job skills they need to succeed and, in turn, attract new business to the state.

While research and development remains important in helping Maine attract new industries like biotechnology and software companies, it is also important to make education attainable for all high school graduates.

Developing a community college system is a step in that direction. Maine is the only New England state without one, which is surprising considering many students graduate high school without encouragement to continue their education.

Gov. Baldacci has said, “Encouraging and enabling our young people to access an education beyond high school is only half the job of developing a highly skilled workforce. The other half is keeping them here in Maine.”

I am sure a renewed effort in meeting the educational needs of students will lead to both a stronger economy and a stronger desire to lay down roots in Maine.

Jennifer Gundersen is a senior journalism major.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 30th, 2003, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.