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. © 1999 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
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