If Maine’s workforce is to respond to the ever-changing needs of business and industry, and if employers are to provide thriving-wage jobs that allow individuals to advance in chosen career paths, there is work to do.

Though Maine has slowly been regaining jobs lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the unemployment rate for February (4.8%) is well below the national average (6.2%), it is still higher than what it was last year at this time (3.1%).

Local industries, ranging from health care to information technology, all require a qualified and skilled workforce to maintain and continuously modernize their service and product offerings. Without a top-notch talent pool prepared with relevant 21st century skills, businesses face the possibility of failing to remain competitive.

Reversing that trend will require expansive, collaborative efforts. An empowered workforce strengthens the state economy and is made up of individuals who have the relevant, modern tools to reach their full potential, developed through education to leverage talents into opportunity.

But there is an affordability gap to access that education that could grow wider as public and private universities in Maine consider annual tuition increases. Last year, student submittals of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid dropped nationally by 8%. In Maine, applications declined by a troubling 9.9%. Those students are part of a critical segment of the state’s population — individuals who have not pursued higher education, and the jobs that could result, largely because they didn’t apply for or receive financial aid.

Even as the University of Maine System, Finance Authority of Maine, and Maine Department of Education have formed an important new partnership to help students overcome barriers to higher education and submit the FAFSA, online, competency-based education offers a low-cost option available now for those who seek to earn a degree aimed at employment or career advancement.

Competency-based education measures skills and subject knowledge rather than time spent in a classroom. For example, in each of Western Governor’s University’s four colleges — business, health professions, information technology, and teaching — competency-based degree programs align with workforce imperatives and are highly-adaptable, allowing education and industry partners to create and refine high-quality learning pathways.

This innovative learning model is complementary to the many excellent traditional higher education options in Maine, expanding opportunities to fill existing gaps. For many of the Maine-based WGU students and alumni, this model is the only way they can achieve a college degree and continue to advance in their careers without interruption.

Collaborative approaches to college education also provide a key long-term strategy for workforce investment and economic recovery. WGU partners with community colleges on credit transfers for their graduates, as well as with local businesses to support human resource objectives and expand access to higher education for their employees. These initiatives support efforts to retain businesses and employees in Maine, so both can thrive.

As Maine’s economy moves forward dramatically changed by COVID-19, the academic needs of Mainers continue to evolve and change to align with regional workforce needs and the demand for specific skill sets. Higher education has a duty to help connect talent with professional opportunity, by offering a variety of ways to train Maine’s workforce with the credentials employers trust.

Rebecca L. Watts, Ph.D., serves as a regional vice president for Western Governors University, a non-profit, accredited university in Jersey City, New Jersey, focused on competency-based learning that currently serves 200 students and nearly 400 alumni in Maine.

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