Maine universities hope to boost college aspirations with new course credits for high schoolers

The University of Maine System has announced that it will now accept credentials earned through the Jobs for Maine Graduates program as college credits for high school students. This new policy aims to encourage more students to pursue higher education, as the university system faces a decrease in enrollment. Jobs for Maine Graduates is a longstanding program that helps students with barriers to learning develop their professional soft skills, such as leadership, personal growth, and financial literacy.

Once students have demonstrated mastery of these skills through a set of college-level requirements, they can now earn credit towards a college degree at any public university in Maine. The system's spokesperson, Samantha Warren, explained that to earn credit, students must complete at least 10 hours of instruction and pass assessments to showcase their learning.

This initiative is part of a broader effort to increase postsecondary enrollment in Maine, where currently only 60% of high school graduates enroll in a postsecondary degree program. Additionally, the state aims to raise the percentage of its working-age population holding a postsecondary degree or certification to 70% by 2035, up from the previous goal of 60% by 2025.