As a former “lost young Mainer” myself (“Our View: Help lost young Mainers realize their potential,” May 16), and current employee of Portland Adult Education and the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service (both of which focus on serving this population), I have some thoughts to add regarding Maine’s disconnected youth and our worker shortage crisis.
Maine’s goal is to strengthen our workforce and economy, while our “disconnected youth” (aka “opportunity youth”) often aspire to attain stable employment in a skilled field. What are we missing here?
Before we go to solutions, we have to acknowledge the challenges these folks are facing. Financial hardship sends many to entry-level jobs for immediate income after high school, where they lack flexibility to advance. Others find that standardized educational environments don’t meet their learning needs and are unable to attain a high school credential (or beyond). A lack of government funds and/or the refusal to accept them (like Gov. LePage’s rejection last fall of $9 million in federal job training funds) reduces access for folks who are eager, but need help getting started.
How do we help Maine’s opportunity youth attain a high school credential? How do we clarify requirements and support folks to reach them in order to attain skilled work and fill these critical vacancies?
Portland Adult Education has a new Learning Lab that’s working on the aforementioned issues. First and foremost, we use strategies that are responsive to the challenges that Opportunity Youth face. Walk-in flexibility and utilization of portable online tools helps to bridge the gap for folks with demanding schedules. Peer mentorship, role modeling and experienced guidance help to increase morale for folks feeling stuck and “demotivated.” And a clear bridge to actual job training and higher education supports on-site makes taking the next step a lot more feasible.
It’s not often that two crises can alleviate one another. We must seize the opportunity and invest in Maine’s opportunity youth.
Kera Pingree
Portland
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