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The fact is, Maine's
working-age adults have the lowest education and skill levels in New England, and Maine has the lowest per capita income in the region. Maine
has an education gap that is impacting its economic growth, and the gap is projected to widen:
- By 2018, 59% of all jobs in Maine (396,000 jobs) will require some postsecondary education.
- Between 2008 and 2018, Maine will create 196,000 job vacancies from new jobs and from job openings due to retirement - 115,000 of these vacancies will require postsecondary credentials.
- And, Maine's population of 15 to 24-year-olds--traditional-age high school
and college students--is projected to decline by 20% over the next decade.
Simply put, the jobs of the Knowledge Economy require college degrees and postsecondary certificates
- and only 39% of Maine
working-age adults have them compared to 47% in re region.
In the old economy, finishing high school was the minimum requirement
for all young people. Now, we face the opportunity - the obligation - to
raise the bar: to make college degree and postsecondary certificate attainment as universal as high school
attainment is today. It's time to change our expectations about higher
education in Maine.
To read more about the Maine Compact for Higher Education and public policy opportunities for higher education in Maine, click below:
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