MAINE TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM: "BUILDING BRIDGES"

Abstract

The Maine Technical College System (MTCS) has a 50 - year history of preparing skilled workers for an occupationally diverse and geographically dispersed region . Established as a vocational training institute under the "GI Bill" to help returning servicemen, the System now includes seven colleges and provides education , training, and retraining in the state's most advanced technological fields. The System increasingly provides a vital bridge between schools and work, offering career awareness and internship programs to secondary school students and widening access to higher education for a population that traditionally has not sought further education or training. Four innovative programs serve as the foundation of this bridge: (1) Maine Quality Centers, resources that help expanding employers identify workforce needs and provide workers with skills tailored to those specific needs; (2) Maine Tech Prep, an applied high school curricula and academic guidance philosophy that initiates career and skills development; (3 ) articulation agreements, the genesis of a seamless educational experience from high school through two-and four-year college; and (4) Maine Career Advantage , a nationally recognized school - to - career internship program . Individually and collectively , these programs position MTCS , Maine's most affordable postsecondary option , as a viable avenue toward education and training in a state where college attainment levels are among the lowest in the nation . The system is experiencing steadily increasing enrollment and high graduate placements .