How Maine Is Leading the Way on English Upskilling — and What Other States Can Learn
At the 2025 Maine Inclusion Conference, the EnGen team spotlighted a powerful force shaping workforce outcomes across the state: English upskilling.
With the oldest median population in the country, Maine faces acute workforce shortages as many incumbent workers near retirement. But instead of falling behind, the state is building innovative approaches to connect with untapped talent pools, including adult English learners who represent 1 in 10 working-age adults in Maine and across the country.
EnGen’s founder, Dr. Katie Brown, joined a panel of local leaders for a solution-oriented conversation about how employers, community organizations, adult educators, and state agencies can work together to champion these talent pools.
The message was clear: English isn’t just a language skill — it’s a workforce development strategy.
Across Maine, cross-sector partnerships are equipping English learners with the tools they need to thrive in high-demand industries like healthcare, manufacturing, and retail. English upskilling is creating stronger pipelines, improving employee retention, and closing staffing gaps.
Maine is setting an example other states should be watching closely. Here are three key takeaways from the panel:
1. English upskilling builds strong talent pipelines
In Maine’s second-largest city, Lewiston Adult Education has integrated English upskilling into an innovative pre-apprenticeship program that prepares English learners for roles as Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). The approach combines English skills, digital literacy, workforce readiness, and industry certifications, culminating in paid apprenticeships with local hospitals and care facilities. It’s a win-win: participants get access to high-demand jobs, and employers gain a pipeline of qualified, multilingual talent.
2. English upskilling boosts recruitment, retention, and more.
For employers, English upskilling is emerging as a powerful driver of workplace engagement and employee loyalty. For example, Central Maine Healthcare’s workplace English program, powered by EnGen, boasts an impressive 97% retention rate among participants. National survey data from 6,000 EnGen learners echo this trend:
84% of learners say they’re more likely to stay with their current employer because of the language support
86% say they’d recommend their workplace to a friend for the same reason
3. States can scale impact through cross-sector partnership
Maine’s Department of Education has invested in bulk EnGen licenses and distributes them at no cost to adult education programs across the state, boosting capacity for personalized, career-aligned English instruction. And a new collaboration with the Maine State Chamber of Commerce will soon extend this same opportunity to local employers.
In Maine and across the country, English upskilling programs yield strong benefits. Recent analysis shows that every $1 invested in EnGen generates a $6 return to local communities in the form of economic mobility — increased wages, tax revenues, and consumer spending.
“Focus on the resources you have available and the things you know work,” said Katie in the panel discussion. “This isn’t an expense. It’s an investment in the future of the workforce.”
Want to learn how English upskilling can work for your state or organization?
Connect with us to request a demo: https://getengen.com/contact-us