SENATOR PATRICK TO CHAIR “KNOW BEFORE YOU GO” TASK FORCE

AUGUSTA- Democratic Senator John Patrick of Rumford has been appointed as the Senate chair of the Legislature’s State Education and Employment Outcomes Task Force.

The task force is the result ofa measure to provide students and their families with information that will help them make higher education decisions.

“Our young people deserve to know their chances of finding a good-paying job in their field before they mortgage their futures in student loans,” said Senator Patrick. “We already have the information and it’s time for us to empower students to make smart decisions for their futures.”

The “Know Before You Go” law directs the 15-member task force to develop a plan to provide information about employment rates for graduates, their average incomes, monthly debt payments, and other data that could impact a student’s education choices. The information will be presented in an online database using data collected by the Department of Labor and the Department of Education.

“We hope the database will be a good tool for students and their families, as well as for legislators as we look at higher education and workforce training needs and outcomes in the state,” said Senator Patrick.

Maine students have the seventh-highest average student debt in the nation. More than two thirds of 2012 college graduates in Maine have student loan debt, with an average debt of nearly $30,000 per borrower.

The first meeting of the task force will take place Monday, August 11 at 10:00 a.m. in room 208 of the Cross Office Building. The task force will develop recommendations to present to the Legislature’s Education, Labor, and Workforce Committees before November 1, 2014.