National report underscores how UMaine Cooperative Extension is tackling the state’s workforce challenges

Maine faces an urgent challenge: growing its skilled workforce by tens of thousands of people over the next several years. According to the state’s 10-year Economic Development Strategy, this will require flexible ways for adults to build on what they already know, develop new skills and continue learning while working and supporting their families.

A new national report shows how Cooperative Extension will be a key player in that effort.

The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems recently released “Recognizing Extension Learning: Pathways to Credit and Career Advancement”, a report examining how universities can better connect learning gained through non credit workshops and certifications, to academic credit and career advancement. NCHEMS worked closely with University of Maine Cooperative Extension to explore how credit for prior learning and skills validation were driving the organization’s efforts to develop an increasing array of micro-credentials.

“These are exactly the kinds of challenges Extension is built to address,” Hannah Carter, deputy provost and dean of UMaine Extension, said. “We’ve always focused on providing practical, applied learning for people in their communities, workplaces and at different stages of life. 

Every year, thousands of Mainers engage in Extension programs, from improving farm management practices and earning food safety certifications to building business skills, developing leadership through 4-H and learning to adapt to climate and economic changes.

These programs are designed to be practical and accessible. They don’t currently provide an automatic path to college credit, but the report describes how such pathways could be developed. 

At the center of the report are two key concepts: skills validation and Credit for Prior Learning. Skills validation helps document what learners know and can do. CPL allows universities to evaluate that learning and, when appropriate, award academic credit toward certificates or degrees. Together, these approaches create pathways that allow learners to build on what they’ve already accomplished rather than starting over.

“Because we are part of the University of Maine, we’re well positioned to connect that learning directly to academic systems and turn experience into credit,” Carter said.

For Maine, this approach aligns directly with the state’s goal of helping more adults earn credentials while staying in the workforce.

“Many of the learners we serve are already working, raising families and contributing to their communities,” Laura Wilson, director of non-credit learning at Extension, said. “They don’t necessarily have the time or resources to step into a traditional degree program full-time. But they are still learning and that learning has value.”

Wilson said the opportunity lies in making that value visible, “If we can clearly define the skills people gain through our programs and align those with academic frameworks and workforce needs, we can create more flexible, step-by-step pathways into credentials valued by employers. That’s what makes education more accessible and more relevant to today’s workforce.”

NCHEMS identified the University of Maine as a model not only because of the scope of its Extension programming, but because of how the university is rethinking the relationship between noncredit and credit learning.

The report highlights UMaine’s expanded CPL framework and its work designing stackable learning experiences, which are programs intentionally structured so that learners can build knowledge over time and apply it toward higher level credentials.

This approach reflects a shift from viewing education as a single, linear path to recognizing it as a continuum.

“Extension is often the first point of contact people have with the university,” Carter said. “By creating clearer pathways from those initial learning experiences into additional education and credentials, we’re opening doors for people who may not have seen higher education as an option for them.”

That model has particular importance in Maine, where rural geography and workforce demands require more flexible approaches to education. With educators and programming staff spread across the state, Extension is already structured to support the state’s workforce goals at a local level.

Grounded in community relationships and local needs, Extension bridges non-credit learning with higher education. This connection is critical to addressing workforce gaps in key sectors identified in the state’s economic strategy, including agriculture, natural resources, small business development and community resilience. For example, Extension recently expanded its horticulture offerings to train clients ranging from volunteers to entering professionals.

“We created the Maine Horticulture Training Program in partnership with Maine’s horticulture industry to respond to a well-documented need for more skilled workers,” Rebecca Long, coordinator of horticulture training programs at Extension, said. “Together, we designed a program that gives participants the knowledge, hands-on experience and confidence to enter the field without committing to a full degree. We also found that, for some participants, the training sparked an interest in continuing their education, making a pathway to academic credit a natural next step.”

The report underscores a broader shift in higher education that places increasing value on demonstrated skills alongside traditional degrees. For Maine, that shift represents an opportunity.

“Workforce development isn’t just about bringing new people into the state,” Carter said. “It’s about investing in the people who are already here, helping them build skills, advance in their careers and contribute to their communities in new ways.”