Central Maine Newspapers, Oct. 12, 1999
(This editorial also appeared in the Kennebec Journal, Oct. 12, 1999)
Improving technical colleges
There are a couple of startling statistics that help make a compelling case for supporting the $26.42 million technical college bond issue, Question 6 on the Nov. 2 referendum ballot.
Accepting that the mission of the technical college system is to provide skilled workers with post secondary educations to the Maine labor force, it is a measure of the system's value that 94 percent of its student body comes from Maine and 96 percent of its working graduates are on the job in Maine. Rather than contribute to the exodus of young people seeking greener employment pastures elsewhere, the technical college system seems more than capable of opening doors to in-state work sites.
Contrast that performance with the results of a statewide business survey conducted last year that disclosed that 69 percent of Maine companies had trouble finding available skilled workers.
Looking the next century, Maine jobs demanding postsecondary education and training are projected to grow by 15 percent-twice the rate of so-called low-skill jobs.
Clearly, the technical college system attempts to meet a need and, to the degree that is statistically possible, it succeeds.
The money made available in approving Question 6 will update occupational classrooms, improve laboratories and equipment, and keep the schools up-to-date with the dynamics of high-technology tools and instructional techniques. At Kennebec Valley Technical College in Fairfield, for example, the bond money will be used to construct an addition to the King Building for a library and information technology center.
In providing one of the most direct results of a statewide business survey returns-on-investments, the technical college system deserves further support. Voters should say, "Yes" to Question 6.