KJ/Morning Sentinel, Sept. 30, 2001
Technical college enrollment demonstrates system appeal
There is good news of a kind to report in what has been a month of crisis and grim disasters. The Maine Technical College System is boasting double-digit increases in enrollments in its seven campuses and its 10 off-campus centers.The reasons behind the strong enrollment begin with an interest in the career-based course work available at the schools, but it hardly ends there.
The Technical College System has marketed itself well to a segment of the Maine population that is ripe to receive its message. Placement rates for graduates of the system execeed 90 percent, with the vast majority of those jobs in Maine. That allows the traditional students to perceive and pursue a direct connection between a career path and a residential choice—they get to work where they want to live. That is a sales point that the system has been sensitive enough to ensure, and savvy enough to sell to prospective students.
The state is also responsible in part for the enrollment figures. For one, the system has been allowed to expand the depth and quality of its curriculum, offering associate-in-arts degree courses, for example. Furthermore, the technical schools are coordinating their work with the University of Maine System to facilitate students who aspire to pursue bachelors degree programs and courses.
At least two other factors enhance the appeal of the technical college system. The financial support of Maine voters in providing bond money to pay for campus construction projects and equipment purchases allows the schools to remain current with student and employer needs. The legislature also provides sufficient funding to make the technical college alternative competitive and attractive to families and students whose financial means might be limited. The system now boasts more than 6,500 degree-program students and nearly 9,000 students in all.
The challenge facing the schools is one most others wish they had—so many students that the enrollments are almost at maximum capacity. This is a success story in the making all around, especially if the course materials that are provided continue to lead to career employment opportunities for graduates. In fueling the aspirations of those who are already inclined to live and work in Maine, the system is meeting an undeniable need of the state, of the students and of the businesses trying to succeed here.