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V O L . X X I I I N O. X X I I I O C T O B E R 2 , 2 0 1 7 16 U niversity of Maine System Chancellor James Page has said that, if the state's economy is going to improve, Maine has to make it easier — and cheaper — for residents to earn a college degree. A year later, the University of Maine at Presque Isle has found a solution that's working beyond any- one's expectation. "ere's a pressing need for a workforce with postsecondary degrees going into the next 10 years," says Raymond J. Rice, president of UMPI. In Aroostook County, "We've lost 3,000 people in our workforce the last few years, and continue to lose more, but we will need qualified individu- als to fill well over 10,000 new jobs requiring such qualifications by 2022." Estimates are in the next 10 years, 60% of jobs will require a college degree. At the same time, adults with family commitments and jobs are finding college beyond what they can afford both monetarily and time-wise. In Maine, about 17% of adults started college but left before earning a degree. But in Aroostook County, that number is 39%. "e math tells the tale," says Rice. "If we don't help our workforce in Aroostook County and in Maine [get] prepared to take such jobs, we won't have an economy." UMPI's solution is a Competency Based Education bachelor's degree in business administration that costs $2,000 a semester and most students can complete in five semesters or less. e program's goal is to get adult learners back into college, keep the cost under $10,000 and meet some of the pressing workforce needs of the region. In the sparsely populated northern part of the state, it's the latest innovative step to strengthen educational offer- ings and the economy by UMPI, the University of Maine at Fort Kent, and Northern Maine Community College. Carolyn Dorsey, director of the Competency Based Education pro- gram, says a major barrier for those who never completed college is find- ing the time to attend classes. Even night courses and traditional online courses are not always convenient. CBE allows students to work when- ever they want, without a semester or class schedule structure. When the CBE program launched in August, the university expected to enroll 25. It has 100 students, with 40 signed up to begin in January. "Within the first week or 10 days we had 500 people inquire," Dorsey says. e program determines students' level of expertise when they enroll, so they aren't doing work that's redundant. e concept is similar to elementary and high school proficiency-based edu- cation, but with more autonomy. UMPI has hired two staff members who help students stay on track. Strengthening the workforce While employers can see that a tradi- tional student has taken a specific course, it's not clear how much the student 207-854-2422 directpersonnel.net 1-800-639-8802 mainestaff.com A corporate division of Maine Staffing Group Call us today! Diverse hiring solutions for Maine's competitive economy Filling entry-level roles to specialized technical positions. Providing skilled candidates for any industry! • Healthcare • Administrative • Accounting/Financial And much more! Degrees of latitude Northern Maine's colleges finding new ways to strengthen workforce B y M a u r e e n M i l l i k e n N O R T H E R N M A I N E F O C U S College for $2,000 a semester? The University of Maine at Presque Isle's Competency Based Education business administration bachelor of arts degree program is less than a month old, but it has already exceeded what school officials expected when they created it. 500+ applied for the program 100 enrolled Percentage of women enrolled Enrollees from Aroostook County 65% 30– 35% Enrollees are from 15 Maine counties (none from Lincoln), 7 states, and Canada. Program requirements: 25 years old, five years in workforce, 30 college credits (or transferable work experience) Average enrollee age 40.6 >5 Amount of semesters expected to finish $2,000 Flat semester rate (no extra costs for books or incidentals)

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