WASHINGTON – Gov. John Baldacci on Thursday was named chairman of Jobs for America’s Graduates Inc., a school-to-career program for at-risk students. The Maine program has been successful and is consistently ranked among the best in the country.

Baldacci accepted his nomination at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington before about 750 supporters, business leaders, politicians, teachers and students.

“I don’t accept these positions, with my day job responsibility,” he said. “I have more than enough to do. As a matter of fact, I tell people I don’t go looking for trouble; it walks right through the front door.”

But Baldacci said he was honored to take on this job because he has seen firsthand its effects on students’ enthusiasm.

“In Jobs for Maine’s Graduates’ program, there was enthusiasm, there were smiles, there was laughter, there was energy, and there was an interest in education,” Baldacci said. “We’re very fortunate to have this as a tool in the tool chest which is going to help to power Maine and the country in the future.”

Jobs for America’s Graduates is a national nonprofit corporation that assists affiliates in 30 states serving more than 40,000 students.

The program, established in 1980, targets children who are not engaged in school, have no support networks and lack goal-setting skills. The program pairs them with a specialist or mentor who works with them to prepare them for careers or post-secondary education.

“I don’t think it matters where you’re from – rural or urban areas, Aroostook County or Portland – children either have the will to succeed or they don’t,” said Craig Larrabee, president and CEO of Jobs for Maine’s Graduates program, who has been with the program since it began in Maine in 1993.

“We help them set goals and teach them why education is important,” he said.

When it started in Maine as a pilot program, 500 children participated, said Larrabee, a Waterville resident. It has since expanded to 52 sites throughout the state and serves 2,500 students.

For the past 12 years Maine has topped all other states participating in the program, as measured by the number of students who graduate from high school. In addition, Larrabee said, a Maine Department of Labor study released two months ago found that students who went through the program made more money then their counterparts six years after graduating.

Larrabee credits much of the program’s success to its staff. “One person wears so many hats – they are teachers, mentors, friends, parents.”

Two students enrolled in the program agreed.

Daniel Ball, a 17-year-old senior at Provine High School in Jackson, Miss., has developed a strong relationship with his specialist.

“I can call her whenever and I know she will always be there for me,” he said. “But she’s also very, very hard on me. But I know it’s out of love.”

Ball, who signed up for the program as an elective in his school because he thought the field trips sounded like fun, said he now believes the class should be mandatory for all students.

“This class should be a requirement for graduation,” he said. “Everyone should get a taste of JAG.”

Rodgeric Poindexter, an 18-year-old senior at Choices High School in Canton, Ohio, agreed.

“I pity whoever doesn’t take advantage of the opportunities they are handed,” he said. “I don’t know my place in this world. I’m lost. I don’t even know my family. But this program teaches you how to find your place and let it all soak in.”

Poindexter joined the program because he wanted to be able to pursue social work after finishing high school. He and Ball said the program has provided them with many new and valuable experiences, including visits to job sites and businesses in their area, as well as visits from college and university presidents.

Baldacci said the program, or one similar to it, may be pushed in the new Congress to become a regular part of public school curricula.

“The difficulty with education sometimes is you don’t know where you’re headed and nobody is turning the light on clear enough for you,” Baldacci said. “But with this program and the mentoring and support that you receive, you’re going to hit the ground running.”