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AUGUSTA — Two local groups are finding creative ways to work together to help adult learners get a credential of value.
The Maine Adult Promise program recently announced the award of two $10,000 grants to encourage collaborative work with two area partnerships focused on providing community-wide support for adults looking to go back to school, start down a new path, or finish something they’ve already started.
The two selected partnerships — one in the Lewiston-Auburn area and one in the Kennebec Valley region — will be piloting different approaches to providing “wrap around services” for adult students (defined as ages 25+). The wrap-around service approach connects a team of individuals who support the client, or student, so they may collaboratively develop an individualized plan, implement this plan, and evaluate success over time. The collaborative partnership forming in the Lewiston-Auburn area brings together a team of educational and community support providers, representing 13 different organizations and institutions.
In keeping with the goal of Maine Adult Promise to make it easier for adults to obtain their educational goals, the Lewiston Area Adult Promise Collaborative, or LeAP’s, collaboration and work will be focused on four main barriers adult learners must overcome to be successful in attaining a credential of value — access to, and knowledge of, educational and workforce credential programs in the Central Maine region; college readiness and skill development; financial capability/literacy and financial resources; and English as a Second Language (ESL) training. The group will be developing creative strategies for community outreach to encourage aspiration in the area’s adult population. The group in the Kennebec Valley region is looking to expand their work on a “Two-Generation Approach” to increasing educational attainment, employability, and a living wage while reducing barriers to education and economic momentum, and disrupting the cycle of chronic family poverty. The “2-Gen” team has already been gaining traction in the area, undertaking this approach since 2015. The “2-Gen project” targets whole-family approaches and intentional services and opportunities for children and adults.
The overarching premise of the initiative is to build postsecondary education and employment pathways; early childhood education and development; economic assets; health and well-being; and social capital. The Kennebec Valley group is currently well poised to expand vital conversations and actions to a broader audience and more diverse target participant population. Work with the Maine Adult Promise program will provide that opportunity. Maine Adult Promise has a steering committee comprised of members from the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, Husson University, the Maine Dept. of Labor, the Maine Dept. of Education, Maine Development Foundation, Maine Community Foundation, the John T. Gorman Foundation, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, the Finance Authority of Maine, Educate Maine, New Ventures Maine, the Maine Educational Opportunity Center, Maine Adult Education and Goodwill Industries.
In 2017 the group pursued and was awarded a three-year, $750,000 grant from Lumina Foundation, as part of a cohort of states working on adult degree attainment initiatives. This grant-supported effort, in partnership with state higher education executive officers, is part of Lumina’s commitment to understanding and addressing the needs of adult students. Helping more adults achieve post-high school education is critical to Lumina’s efforts to ensure 60 percent of working-age people have college degrees, certificates, or another credential by 2025 that prepares them for informed citizenship and success in a global economy.
Among today’s students, nearly four of every 10 are older than 25. More than a quarter of them are raising children, and more than half are holding jobs while going to school. Too many state systems of higher education and individual colleges and universities are not designed to meet their needs. Lumina Foundation has been working with several states to address this challenge since 2016. These states are pairing a clear financial promise to adults pursuing education beyond high school with communications strategies and student services such as coaching, recognition of existing knowledge and skills, and guided degree pathways.
Maine’s Adult Promise, generously supported by Lumina Foundation, is one of four areas of focus — or tracks — of the MaineSpark Initiative. The Maine Adult Promise track offers information, support and resources for Mainers 25 and older looking to start or finish a post-secondary credential or degree, change careers, or learn a new trade or skill. MaineSpark (www.mainespark.me) is an initiative that connects people with the resources needed to thrive in Maine’s changing economy. MaineSpark is powered by a coalition of education and workforce organizations with a common goal: by 2025, 60% of Mainers will hold the credentials that position Maine and its families for success
