New Recruits For Maine Army National Guard Hard to Come By
The Maine Army National Guard is having a hard time getting new recruits to join the service. It’s not that 17 to 24 year olds don’t want to join but the lack the proper education or police records or not being able to meet physical standards are keeping them out.
According to the new head of the Maine Army National Guard, Brigadier General Douglas Farnham 70% of 17 to 24 year olds in Maine is ineligible for the Guard. To enlist in the military you must have a high school diploma, pass a fitness test and pass the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude test.
The lack of education doesn’t only affect the Armed Services it is affecting Maine’s workforce too. Maine is hampered with an undereducated and unskilled workforce hindering the private sector.
There are three bills in the works to address the problem but an effort to improve K-12 education has to improve and Mainers need to complete technical programs and earn college degrees.
It doesn’t all fall in the education field though. Employers also cited lack of experience and difficulty finding candidates who could pass required drug screenings and criminal background checks.
It’s expected by 2018, 59% of jobs in Maine will require some sort of education beyond a high school education.
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