Legislator: Jobs, education key for Maine youth

EAST MILLINOCKET – Creating school curriculums that teach entrepreneurship and make higher education more affordable were high priorities in a recent report by a task force aimed at curbing the state’s out-migration of young people.

Speaking about the report to a group of students Friday at Schenck High School, Sen. Stephen Stanley, D-Medway, said Maine is not alone in its loss of young people and attributed the development to the promise of better-paying jobs elsewhere.

An emphasis on entrepreneurship may be the answer as more and more Mainers in rural areas are making good wages by working out of their homes for themselves or large companies, Stanley said.

However, preparation must begin at the high school level in order for the state’s young people to pursue business as a field in college, he said.

“If [a student is] going to be a businessperson, there should be business courses so they can move themselves right along,” Stanley said.

Stanley was a member of the Presiding Officers’ Advisory Task Force on Creating a Future for Youth in Maine, which was charged last year with developing ways to convince young families to stay in Maine or move here from other states.

Among the task force’s findings was the idea that Maine has more higher education and employment opportunities than the state’s young people often perceive.

Additionally, the group of legislators and interested citizens found that the state lacks a structure to align with the private sector to address serious problems such as out-migration.

The task force came up with 11 recommendations, which included the promotion of greater coordination between educational institutions and businesses for moving young people into the work force.

Other recommendations included reducing the cost of education in the University of Maine System, implementing a comprehensive marketing campaign to promote Maine’s opportunities and providing targeted housing assistance to young professionals and families.

At least four pieces of legislation are in the works as a result of the task force’s findings, Stanley said.

While it has yet to be introduced, one bill would have the Finance Authority of Maine repay up to $5,000 in loans annually for four years, provided the college graduate took a job in an occupational field that the Department of Labor targeted as having a labor shortage.

That particular legislation could be of interest to Schenck Junior Mark Blanchette, who’s got his sights set on three out-of-state colleges for a medical degree after he finishes high school. Blanchette’s decision to return to Maine likely will be based on income.

“When I finish med school, if I can’t get a good-paying job here I’m not going to be coming back,” Blanchette said after the news conference.