We hear it everywhere in Maine: businesses have a hard time finding the workers they need. If communities are to thrive economically, they need to be able to attract new businesses—and help established businesses flourish—by providing the workforce those businesses need.

To solve the workforce crisis, we need to bring back or attract new people from outside the state, and we must not forget the people who are already here who need additional training or face other barriers to employment.

But, in this article, I will focus on the need to strengthen and innovate career and technical education, career counseling, and guidance to help our young people in high school get the educational support that leads to good jobs. Here are some proposals:

Expand High School-Level Career and Technical Education

While Maine has 27 Career and Technical Education high schools, this network should be expanded both in the number of students served and in the variety of offerings. The Bath Regional Career and Technical Center, for example, offers eight courses such as welding, automotive technology, carpentry, and health sciences, which can lead to family-sustaining jobs. However, it has only a limited number of places for students and does not have programs in many of the occupations that will define the future of high-wage, high-demand employment, such as cyber security, computer programing, and clean energy. By expanding spaces in existing career and technical centers, Maine could provide an opportunity for more students to gain these skills at no cost while still in high school.

Providing this training at the high school level can speed up entry into the workforce, save students and their families the cost of initial training, and help students move on to develop more advanced skills at an accelerated pace. This approach should include coordinating with potential employers and allowing students to dual-enroll in community college courses while still in high school. Another opportunity that should be provided is helping students establish their own micro-businesses as part of their curriculum.

Give Every High School Student the Opportunity to Learn Advanced Computer Programming

Every Maine high school should offer its students the opportunity to obtain an industry-recognized computer-programing credential at their local high school. Some students may not want to leave their local high school to go to a dedicated career/technical high school because those schools might not offer the advanced academic courses that these students also want and need. Many career/technical course offerings require specialized equipment and facilities; fortunately, computer programming needs only computers and software.

Offering these courses in all high schools can potentially benefit a far larger number of students by providing programming skills that they can use in post-secondary career education and in work in various industries. With industry-recognized IT credentials obtained in high school, college students can more easily find part-time or summer employment that pays well and provides a valuable résumé credential.

Establish Career Navigators in Every High School

High school students need timely and accurate information about the labor market, career options, post-secondary education, and transitions to work. High school guidance counselors perform a large number of incredibly valuable functions for their students. For example, the guidance staff at Boothbay Region High School is responsible for such tasks as performing individual and group counseling, course scheduling, tracking graduation requirements, communicating with parents, helping students and parents with college applications and FAFSA applications, running a variety of events from awards nights to parents’ nights, and operating career-related websites.

This allows very little time for career-guidance activities ranging from in-depth discussions with students about long-term career planning and arranging activities such as industry or occupation presentations, to job shadowing, to work-based learning. Our current educational system often results in students missing opportunities and making career choices that are not fully informed. A Career Navigator or mentor can help students understand the importance of considering career choices sooner, as well as research the most cost-effective way to prepare for chosen careers and avoid significant student debt.

We need to connect our economic development and workforce development with education strategies that give us the results we need. We should expand support for career training and guidance at the high school level, apprenticeship programs, technical training, Maine’s community colleges, and university research and development programs. They are all key to the success of Maine workers and businesses.

Laura Fortman is the Democratic candidate for Maine Senate District 13