The problem of youth out-migration from Maine and other states across the nation, also known as the “brain drain,” has received a lot of scrutiny from researchers and investigative journalists in recent months. Census data and other research have confirmed what many Mainers have claimed to be true for years: Maine's youth are leaving the state in large numbers. As hard as the effects of this phenomenon are for Maine families, the continued out-migration of the next generation of Maine's workforce will have extreme negative effects on the Maine economy.

The Presiding Officers' Advisory Task Force on Creating a Future For Youth in Maine, established by Senator Beverly Daggett, President of the Senate, and Representative Pat Colwell, Speaker of the House, was created in order to confront the problem of youth out-migration at its roots and to develop concrete and effective solutions to stem the outflow of Maine's young people. Based on previously conducted studies, its own discussions with scores of Maine high school students, college students, teachers, professors, parents, entrepreneurs, business leaders and government officials the Task Force has arrived at the following findings and recommendations.

Summary of Task Force Findings

• Nearly all states are confronted with the challenges created by the outflow of young adults to other states. There are many different reasons for youth out-migration, and out-migration by young people often occurs regardless of economic conditions in the home state.
• The perceptions of youth regarding education and employment opportunities in Maine often mask reality. While many students believe they need to go out of state to obtain a good education and good-paying jobs, in reality, there are excellent higher educational institutions and job opportunities in Maine. Maine colleges and universities offer a top tier education and many excellent job opportunities are available in the fields of health care, high technology, electronics, and other fields.
• Maine has many excellent qualities that are attractive to young adults and entrepreneurs. Maine's culture and environment are inviting to many people, as demonstrated by the recent survey results showing that Portland ranks 10th in the nation with respect to the attraction of young adults and professionals.
• Maine lacks a structure and a process by which state resources and policies can be coordinated and aligned with private sector resources to address serious problems, such as youth out-migration, economic growth, business growth and expansions, and workforce development needs of the private sector.
• Maine's higher education system is not a unified system, and there is a serious lack of coordination and communication between the education and business sectors. While many employers have trouble finding qualified employees, students and others seeking career information and job opportunities have trouble connecting with those employers.
• There is much the State of Maine can do in concert with the private sector to combat the net outflow of young adults and to promote economic growth.

1. Create the “Future For Youth In Maine Swat Team.” The Swat Team will coordinate economic development policy, education policy related to workforce development and economic growth, and specific efforts to retain and attract youth to Maine. The Swat Team will be a policy-making group that brings together representatives of government, education, business, and labor in a focused, coordinated effort to realign, streamline and oversee efforts to create opportunities through economic development, education, and targeted initiatives to retain and attract young people.
2. Implement a comprehensive marketing campaign to promote Maine. The campaign will promote Maine as a great place to “live, learn and work,” highlighting the resources and opportunities available for starting a business in Maine and the excellence of Maine colleges and universities.
3. Prepare all high school students in Maine for post-secondary education.
4. Align higher education with the needs of Maine's economy and business sector. This effort will include reallocation of higher educational resources toward research and development and other fields for which there are great opportunities and advantages for the State and private sector.
5. Reduce the student cost of education at the University of Maine System.
6. Remove barriers to transfer within and between the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System.
7. Train students for entrepreneurship, emerging technologies, and critical labor shortages. This effort will include entrepreneurship education to teach budding entrepreneurs about running a business and commercializing their product and service ideas, as well as an internship program to place college students in the state's applied technology development centers (incubators) and in occupations facing labor shortages.
8. Expand Maine's loan repayment program offerings. This initiative will provide loan repayment assistance to attract young people to challenging and good-paying job opportunities and to encourage entrepreneurs to implement their business ideas.
9. Provide targeted housing assistance for young professionals and families and encourage pilot projects to reduce the cost of housing in high-cost areas of the state.
10. Implement universal rural broadband access statewide.

On July 21, 2003, Senate President Beverly Daggett and Speaker of the House Patrick Colwell announced the formation of the Presiding Officers Advisory Task Force to Create a Future for Youth in Maine (see Appendix A). Concerned that continued out-migration of youth from Maine could have serious implications for Maine's future, the Presiding Officers created this task force to develop solutions to stem the loss of youth. The 13-member Task Force included 3 members of the House, 3 members of the Senate and 7 public members. House Speaker Patrick Colwell and former Speaker Elizabeth Mitchell chaired the Task Force.

In recent years, Maine has become a net exporter of young adults with more young adults leaving Maine for other states than coming to Maine from other states. Between 1980 and 2000, the state of Maine lost approximately 50,000 young adults between 18 and 31 years of age. The net outflow of youth is particularly evident among college students. Roughly 50 percent of Maine's college-bound students leave the state to attend college elsewhere. Furthermore, for every 10 freshmen that leave Maine for out-of-state colleges, only 7 freshmen come to Maine colleges from other states.

While the state as a whole has been experiencing a net loss of youth in recent years, there has been significant regional variation in population changes within Maine. In terms of the total population, counties in southern and mid-coast Maine have experienced a net influx of residents in recent years, while northern Maine, parts of central Maine and Washington County have experienced a net outflow of residents. Among youth, there has been a net outflow from all counties, but the outflow has been most pronounced in the northern Maine counties of Aroostook and Piscataquis.

Given the links that have been established between population change and economic growth, it became clear to the Presiding Officers that the net outflow of young adults from Maine, in conjunction with the overall aging of the state's population and its low and declining birth rate, could have devastating impacts on the future of Maine's economy and fiscal integrity. With this in mind, they established the Task Force to identify and implement concrete strategies to address this problem.

II. TASK FORCE PURPOSE AND FOCUS

In establishing the Task Force, the Presiding Officers recognized that reversing Maine's loss of youth and young adults will require both long-term and short-term initiatives and that facilitating broad-based economic development and the growth of business in the State of Maine are essential to the long-term solution. They also identified an urgent need to address the problem now—to prime the pump immediately with some focused, short-term initiatives that will begin to stem the tide of out-migration and energize the economy. Finally, the Presiding Officers realized that there already exist a wealth of studies and data regarding out-migration of youth from Maine, and youth migration more generally.

In light of the considerations outlined above, the Presiding Officers directed the Task Force to limit its scope exclusively to developing solutions. Specifically, in their Declaration creating the Task Force, the Presiding Officers stated:

The Task Force shall develop a plan and strategies to retain Maine youth in Maine. At a minimum, this plan must include the means by which employment and economic opportunities for Maine youth can be expanded or created, and the steps necessary to achieve this goal. The Task Force shall consider such incentives as student loan forgiveness and other incentives to retain Maine youth and provide them with the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully participate in the Maine economy.

Consistent with the goals stated by the Presiding Officers, the Task Force early on its work expressed its commitment to taking action and to developing strategies that not only will provide attractive opportunities for Maine youth to remain in the state, but also will draw former Maine residents back and attract youth and young adults from other states to Maine.

Given the serious negative consequences for Maine's economy that will result from continued out-migration of youth, the Task Force felt compelled to address the problem with urgency and concrete solutions. The Task Force presents the following findings and recommendations.

The Task Force found that many young adults in Maine perceive that there are few or no challenging jobs in Maine that pay good wages with benefits. Many also feel that Maine lacks the culture, climate, entertainment, and opportunities that are attractive to youth. Finally, the roughly 50% of Maine youth who leave the state to attend college elsewhere clearly perceive they can get a better or less costly education beyond Maine's borders. At the same time, the Task Force found that the above perceptions often times mask reality. In particular, the Task Force found that:

• Maine has many qualities that are attractive to young adults and entrepreneurs. Maine has a culture and environment that are inviting to many people, including Maine residents who attended college and pursued their early careers out of state and now want to return to Maine.
• There are good paying and challenging jobs in Maine. Health care and high technology both offer a high concentration of good jobs. Eastern Maine Healthcare, for example, has 250 vacant positions that could be filled immediately if skilled workers were available.
• Students can get an excellent post-secondary education in Maine. Both the University of Maine System and the Community College System produce graduates who are well-prepared for the workforce. Maine colleges and universities are recognized leaders in a number of fields. For example, the University of Maine at Farmington is nationally known for its education curriculum, and the University of Maine at Orono is known for its Forestry School and pulp and paper curriculum. In addition, Maine now has a top notch community college system. If Maine youth and their families were more knowledgeable about the excellence of higher education in Maine, there might be a significant reduction in the number of youth who leave Maine to pursue educational opportunities out of state.
• The cost of education at University of Maine, however, may be more expensive compared to the cost of public and private colleges out of state. In fact, the task force learned that private colleges in other states have offered more lucrative scholarships and better financial aid packages to students from Maine than the University of Maine has offered these same students. In these situations, the bottom line cost of an out-of-state college education is lower than the cost of a University of Maine education.
• While Maine is a net exporter of youth overall, Portland recently was ranked 10th in the nation with respect to the attraction of young adults and professionals. Clearly, the greater Portland area boasts of many amenities that are attractive to young adults.

The Task Force firmly believes that the future for youth in Maine depends on the implementation of strong economic development policies and the coordination of economic development efforts throughout the State. The Task Force understands that broad-based economic development and job creation are critical to the future of our state and to creating sustainable opportunities for youth and young adults to stay in Maine, come to Maine, and return to Maine. Within this context, and in consideration of the charge issued by the Presiding Officers, the Task Force focused its work on identifying specific actions and legislative initiatives that will:

• Coordinate and strengthen the state's economic development efforts,
• Include the business, labor, and educational sectors in the formulation and implementation of economic development policies and educational policies as they relate to the workforce, the business community, and the Maine economy,
• Create targeted opportunities to retain and attract youth, and
• Address specific barriers identified by the Task Force

The Presiding Officers Advisory Task Force on Creating a Future for Youth in Maine presents the following specific recommendations for the consideration of the 121st Legislature. Appendix C includes draft legislation to implement the recommendations outlined below.

1. Create the “Future for Youth in Maine Swat Team” to Coordinate the State's Economic Development Policy and Efforts to Retain and Attract Youth

Finding: There is a pressing need to coordinate and expand resources to promote economic development, to retain and attract youth, and to address the fragmentation that currently exists between the state's education, labor, business, and economic development sectors.

Recommendation: The Task Force proposes to create the “Future for Youth in Maine Swat Team” to bring together representatives of government, education, business and labor in a focused, coordinated effort to realign, streamline and oversee the state's economic development policy and specific efforts to retain and attract young people. The Swat Team is a policy-making group. The major responsibilities of the Swat Team would include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Develop and oversee the implementation of comprehensive, coordinated, and focused economic development policies that optimize the use of the State's resources and investments to promote economic growth and development.
• Develop and oversee the implementation of educational policies that focus on meeting the needs of the labor market, the business community, and economic development priorities.
• Develop and implement short-term and long-term strategies to retain and attract youth by improving coordination and reducing fragmentation within and between labor, education, business and economic development sectors. Specific responsibilities in this area include:
  • Develop a comprehensive plan for economic development and education policies specifically designed to expand opportunities for youth. The Task Force proposes that the Swat Team issue an interim report on this plan no later than January 15, 2005, and issue a final plan no later than April 1, 2005, to be updated annually thereafter.
  • Create a comprehensive web-based electronic clearinghouse of information regarding higher education, career opportunities and jobs available in Maine, including the fastest growing and highest-paying jobs in the state. Ensure that this resource is well publicized and easily accessible to all residents and all students attending high school or college in Maine. The Task Force proposes that statewide access to this resource be provided no later than January 15, 2005, and updated at least every two months thereafter.
  • Develop and implement an initiative to provide all high school students in the state with information about higher education and career opportunities in Maine. This must include information regarding public and private post-secondary education programs in the state, career paths, required education and training, and lists of high-growth occupations, highest-paying jobs and occupational shortages. The Task Force proposes that this initiative be implemented statewide no later than January 15, 2005.
  • Develop a program to bring volunteers from business and government to high schools throughout the state to provide students with information about career opportunities and the education required for different careers. The Task Force proposes that this initiative be implemented statewide no later than January 15, 2005.
• Monitor and oversee the implementation of all other initiatives assigned to agencies and organizations by the Task Force and report on the progress of each initiative to the appropriate Joint Standing Committee of the Legislature on an annual basis.
• Report all findings, accomplishments, future plans and recommendations of the Swat Team to the Joint Standing Committee on Business and Economic Development, the Joint Standing Committee on Education, and the Joint Standing Committee on Labor no later than January 15, 2005, and annually thereafter.

The Task Force proposes that the Future for Youth in Maine Swat Team consist of the following 15 policy-making members, including at least 2 members under the age of 35 years and 8 advisory members. The policy-making members shall include:

• 7 representatives of business, appointed by the Presiding Officers of the Legislature; one business representative must be an individual under the age of 30 who has started his or her own business,
• 2 representatives of labor and workforce development, appointed by the Presiding Officers of the Legislature
• The Chancellor of the University of Maine System or the chancellor's designee
• The President of the Maine Community College System or the president's designee
• One representative of the Department of Economic and Community Development, appointed by the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development
• One representative of the Department of Education, appointed by the Commissioner of Education
• One representative of the Department of Labor, appointed by the Commissioner of Labor, and
• One college student, appointed by the Presiding Officers of the Legislature, alternating between a student representative on the Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System and a student representative on the Board of Trustees of the Community College System

The Task force proposes that the Swat Team by advised by 8 ex-officio non-voting members, as follows:

• 2 members of the Maine Senate appointed by the President of the Senate,
• 2 members of the Maine House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House,
• One representative of the Finance Authority of Maine,
• One representative of the Maine State Housing Authority, and
• 2 representatives of K-12 education, appointed by the Presiding Officers of the Legislature; one K-12 representative must be a high school student, alternately selected by the Dirigo Boys' State and Dirigo Girls' State organizations.

2. Implement a Comprehensive Marketing Campaign to Promote Maine

Recommendation: The Task Force directs the Department of Economic and Community Development to coordinate the development and implementation of a comprehensive marketing campaign to promote Maine to youth and young adults as a great place to “live, learn and work.” This campaign will promote Maine as a great place to “live, learn and work,” highlighting the resources and opportunities available for starting a business in Maine and the excellence of Maine colleges and universities. The campaign will target current, former and prospective Maine residents, ages 15 to 35 years. The task force directs the Department of Economic and Community Development to work with the Department of Education, Department of Labor, University of Maine System, Maine Community College System, the Finance Authority of Maine, the Maine State Housing Authority, and other public and private stakeholders in the development of the marketing campaign.

3. Prepare All High School Students for Post-Secondary Education

Finding: While post-secondary education has become necessary for success in today's economy, the Task Force learned that there are students graduating from high school in Maine today without the coursework and skills required for college admission.

Recommendation: The Task Force directs the State Board of Education and the Commissioner of Education to develop and implement a plan, including specific strategies, to ensure that every high school student in the state: (1) has the opportunity to complete the core courses required for college entry, and (2) is encouraged to explore post-secondary educational opportunities—no student should be discouraged from the pursuit of higher education. The Task Force directs the State Board and the Commissioner report their progress on this initiative to the Swat Team and the Joint Standing Committee on Education, no later than January 15, 2005, and annually thereafter.

4. Align Higher Education with the Needs of Maine's Economy and Business Sector

Recommendation: The Task Force has three specific recommendations for aligning the state's higher education resources with the needs of the economy and business sector.

First, the Task Force proposes to require the Boards of Trustees of the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System to develop and implement a formal process to work collaboratively with public and private sector representatives of business, industry and economic development to improve the connection between the state's higher education planning and resource allocation decisions and the needs of the Maine economy. The Task Force further proposes to require Maine's institutions of higher education and the members of the Swat Team to develop a plan that will meet the needs of the business community and the Maine economy with respect to research and development, the commercialization of products and services generated by research and development, business incubation and workforce training. The Task Force proposes that the Boards of Trustees report on these efforts to the Swat Team, the Joint Standing Committee on Education, and the Joint Standing Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development no later than January 15, 2005 and annually thereafter.

Second, the Task Force proposes that the Legislature appropriate $100,000 effective July 1, 2005, to the Maine Community College System for the specific purpose of supporting the creation of a two-year associate degree program in radiology technology at Kennebec Valley Community College. In the recent Federal Government budget, $300,000 is earmarked for this specific program, but the entire cost of this program is $400,000. The Task Force has chosen to endorse the radiology technology program after consulting with the Maine Community College System and learning of the shortage of radiology technicians and the waiting list of students who have expressed interest in the program. The recommended state appropriation, combined with funding from the federal government and investment from the private sector would meet an immediate need throughout Maine. Six hospitals have already invested $30,000 in preparation for this new program and are committed to providing on-site equipment and clinical training for students. The program will produce 40 graduates every two years.

Third, the Task Force proposes that the Swat Team review the need for funding for the development of nursing programs within the Maine Community College System and specifically consider the needs of York Community College to establish such a program. York Community College currently estimates that a program graduating 35 nurses each year could be initiated at a cost of roughly $350,000, and has obtained commitments of support from three local hospitals for on-site equipment and clinical training. The Task Force proposes that the Swat Team make a proposal to the 122nd Legislature regarding funding for community college nursing programs.

5. Reduce the Student Cost of Education at the University of Maine System

Finding: The Task Force found that the level of scholarships and financial aid packages currently offered by the University of Maine System place the state at a disadvantage in terms of retaining youth in Maine and attracting youth to Maine for undergraduate studies. The Task Force found that the cost of an education at the University of Maine System is greater than the cost at many out-of-state public and private colleges. University of Maine scholarships fail to reduce the cost of higher education to a level that is sufficiently attractive to many Maine and out-of-state students. The Task Force also learned that the University of Maine System's policy regarding in-state/out-of-state residency status places the state a disadvantage in terms of retaining college graduates in Maine for graduate studies.

Recommendation: The Task Force strongly urges the Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System to:

• Examine, develop and implement strategies to increase scholarships and financial aid packages, with the ultimate goal of moving Maine into a position of net importer of college students—that is, more students enter Maine from out-of-state to attend college than leave Maine to attend college in other states, and
• Review its policies regarding in-state/out-of-state tuition for graduate students and specifically develop a policy to waive out-of-state tuition for any graduate student who has earned an undergraduate degree from a Maine college (public or private), including at least 3 academic years in residence in the state.

6. Remove Barriers to Transfer Within and Between the University of Maine System and the Community College System

Finding: The Task Force found that current policy and practice of the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System regarding the transfer of credits within and between the two systems creates barriers to student transfers and increases both the cost of education and the length of time to obtain a degree. The specific issue of concern relates to students who transfer from one college campus to another and the acceptance of courses for credit toward academic majors and minors by the receiving campus.

For example, students seeking to transfer from one University of Maine System campus to another have been denied credit toward their academic major or minor for courses taken at the sending campus. The courses have been accepted by the receiving campus for credit for the overall number of credit hours required to graduate, but not for academic majors and minors. Consequently, the students have been required to retake the same exact courses at the receiving campus that they already completed and passed. This practice has encouraged some students to transfer to out-of-state colleges and universities where they can receive credit toward their major or minor.

Recommendation: The Task Force directs the Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System and the Board of Trustees of the Community College System to develop a consistent policy that applies to all campuses relating to the transfer of credits from one campus to another within each system and between the two systems with respect to academic majors and minors. The Task Force further recommends that this policy not discriminate against any particular campus and that it facilitate completion of the students' education in a timely and affordable manner. The Task Force further urges the University of Maine System and the Community College System proceed in this endeavor to achieve an end result that truly reflects a truly unified “system” of higher education in the State of Maine. The Task Force directs the Boards of Trustees to report to the Swat Team and the Joint Standing Committee on Education no later than January 15, 2005.

7. Train Students for Entrepreneurship, Emerging Technologies, and Critical Labor Shortages

Recommendation: The Task Force has two specific recommendations related to training students for entrepreneurship, emerging technologies and critical labor shortages:

First, the Task Force directs the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System to work together to develop a unified, comprehensive approach to entrepreneurship education through both systems, including specific courses and workshops on starting and operating a small business. The Task Force proposes that the University of Maine System and the Community College System to report on this initiative to the Swat Team no later than January 15, 2005.

Second, the Task Force directs the Department of Economic and Community Development to create a college internship program to place students in internships in the of the state's applied technology development centers (also known as incubators) and in labor shortage areas identified by the Department of Labor in consultation with the Department of Economic and Community Development. The Task Force proposes that the Legislature appropriate $100,000 to the Department of Economic and Community Development to support the internship program. The Task Force directs the Department to report on the internship program to the Swat Team and the Joint Standing Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development no later than January 15, 2005, and annually thereafter.

8. Expand Loan Repayment Program Offerings

Recommendation: The Task Force directs the Finance Authority of Maine to create a new loan repayment program to provide assistance to college graduates who work in certain targeted occupations and industries within Maine. Specifically, the program would be available to college graduates who have outstanding student loans and who either:

• Accept and maintain employment in Maine in an occupation that has been identified as a “labor shortage area” by the Department of Labor in consultation with the Department of Economic and Community Development, and the business, labor and higher education sectors, or
• Start a new Maine business in conjunction with the state's Applied Technology Development Center System (incubators).

The new loan repayment program would provide a participant with a loan repayment of $5,000 per year for up to 4 years. To maintain eligibility each year, a participant would be required to continue working in a labor shortage area or a new business in the State of Maine as described above. The Task Force proposes that the Legislature appropriate $1,000,000 to the Finance Authority of Maine for this new loan repayment program, and directs the Finance Authority of Maine to report to the Swat Team and the Joint Standing Committees on Education and on Business, Research and Economic Development no later than January 15, 2005.

9. Provide Targeted Housing Assistance

Recommendation: The Task Force directs the Maine State Housing Authority to develop recommendations to create or modify programs with the goal of expanding access to housing for young professionals and young families. The Task Force directs the Maine State Housing Authority specifically to consider strategies to assist renters and first-time homebuyers who are under the age of 35 years and to explore options for linking assistance levels to student loan obligations. The Task Force strongly urges the Maine State Housing Authority to work with the Community College System, Maine's vocational high schools, and community action programs to build affordable housing in high housing cost areas of the State. The Task Force also strongly endorses implementation of pilot housing projects as soon as possible.

The Task Force proposes that the Maine State Housing Authority report its findings and recommendations regarding targeted housing assistance to the Swat Team and to the Joint Standing Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development no later than January 15, 2005, and annually thereafter.

10. Implement Universal Rural Broadband Access

Finding: The Task Force found that lack of broadband access in rural areas of the state poses a barrier to young professionals wanting to live and work in Maine.