Gov. Paul LePage sang the praises of the state’s technical high school programs during a tour of an East Boothbay boat manufacturer. On Aug. 20, LePage visited the Hodgdon Yacht Shipyard along with Department of Economic & Community Development Commissioner George Gervais. The two saw how the nearly 200-year old business remains competitive in the worldwide boat making industry.

Timothy Hodgdon is the primary owner and the family’s fifth generation to operate the business. He credited a recent merger and his business’s quality and innovative workforce for his company’s success.

“Our workforce has been instrumental in our continued success,” Hodgdon said. “Whether it’s building a cruiser or an America’s Cup racer designed to break a world’s record, this is a highly skilled group of people dedicated to their craft. We need talented workers to deal with an industry dealing with constant technological changes.”

Hodgdon Yachts has remained competitive by hiring recent high school graduates who earned a certificate in composite design. Currently, the only Maine high school technical center which offers a composite design program is Fosters Technology Center in Farmington. These graduates are  in high demand throughout the industry, according to Hodgdon officials. New hires armed with a composite design degrees are making the equivalent of a first-year teacher, according to Hodgdon Director of Human Resources Neal Richardson.

Company officials believe demand for these workers will increase in coming years. Richardson is concerned demand for these workers will soon exceed supply. He’s worried about replacing Hodgdon’s aging workforce. Richardson believes the state’s technical programs won’t produce enough graduates to meet the company’s future needs. Hodgdon officials encouraged the governor to expand the composite design program to more technical centers.

“This is a field where we need more young people coming into it. Our workforce is older, and we need the technical centers to teach the composite program,” Richardson said. “Right now, we have several people from Fosters who are all doing a fabulous job, but we still need more.”

LePage agreed the state’s high school and college technical programs were among the state’s best opportunities to provide good paying jobs for Maine graduates. He blamed the lack of resources for these programs on an entrenched professional educational bureaucracy. The governor believed the notion that a person’s success depended on a four year college degree was outdated.

“It’s an absolutely insane notion,” LePage said. “Their mindset is that everybody needs an Ivy League education. And that’s simply not the case. It’s very frustrating dealing with educational professionals who hold only this belief.”

Hodgdon Yachts was the governor’s second stop in Lincoln County. Earlier in the day, he visited Reny’s in Damariscotta. After touring Hodgdon, he met with supporters in Newcastle at the county Republican headquarters. He finished his Lincoln County tour with a campaign appearance at the 1812 Farm in Bristol.