Maine Gov. Paul LePage, who is currently campaigning for reelection, visited the University of Maine last Monday afternoon last week to speak about the difficulties Maine’s college graduates face in finding careers and what he intends to do to rectify the problem.

On the front steps of Fogler Library, LePage presented his plans for two programs that he hopes will encourage Maine college students to pursue jobs relevant to Maine’s economy, as well as to seek jobs within the state after graduation. His visit to the university marked the formal kick-off of the Youth for LePage Coalition.

Until the election on Nov. 4, LePage will be visiting various educational institutions around the state where youth members involved in political programs are prevalent. These programs will partner with LePage in setting up the coalition campaign events to raise awareness.

“[Students’] biggest concern is finding jobs after [they] graduate,” University of Maine Student Republicans member Lee Jackson said during his introduction of LePage. “There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and his name is Paul LePage.”

According to a recent report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national youth unemployment rate is 14 percent, double the national average for the previous generations.

“Like many of you, I struggle to be financially stable. The idea of the American dream, owning our own home or even finding a job after graduation seems nothing more than a fairy tale our parents used to tell us,” Jackson said.

After speaking about some of LePage’s accomplishments over the course of his governorship, such as the creation of 22,000 private sector jobs over the last four years and a 5 percent unemployment rate, LePage took the podium.

“The State of Maine is on the move,” LePage said, referring to the Maine’s ranking as 5th in the nation for growing wages and 4th in percent of working population.

The governor went on to cite high energy costs, high taxes and a low number of jobs available for graduates as the three primary problems he is trying to address.

To address the the last of these issues, LePage proposed two programs: a scholarship program for students pursuing a degree related to the STEM fields  — science, technology, engineering, math — and a tax break for state employers who hire and pay the loans for Maine graduates.

LePage has been in talks with a number of tech companies to figure out a scholarship program for STEM students.

“We’re trying to get companies involved to buy scholarships. They’ll give scholarships out for certain degree paths with certain conditions and protocols and let the students who meet those protocols grant scholarships on an annual basis,” LePage said. “If you push kids, they’ll respond and perform.”

LePage hopes that this private sector scholarship program would encourage more up and coming college students to pursue degrees more relevant to the needs of Maine’s economy.

“Unfortunately, many degrees are degrees that we can’t use here in Maine. A masters in Sports Management is not nearly as good as a masters in IT in the state of Maine,” LePage said. “We have very few facilities looking for sports management masters, but we have many careers in the medical profession, the biotech profession, research [and] development.”

The second of LePage’s proposals is a tax incentive program for businesses who hire recent college graduates. In order to apply for the tax break, a business would need to hire a student and pay that student’s college loans, taking the burden off of the graduate so that they can become financially stable. In theory, the tax break would recoup the cost to the business for paying off the loans.

“Not only are we not providing adequate jobs for kids coming out of college, we’re taxing them right from the start,” LePage said. “There are opportunities, but the problem is many of our graduates come out of school and they have to find an apartment, they have to pay student loans, they have to pay a car loan.”

According to LePage, both parties would benefit from this sort of agreement as the employer would be able to hire a “fresh young mind” for three to five years while the graduate would be able to stay in the state while they find their footing.

Although both of these programs are in their infancy, LePage hopes to implement the tax break program by January 2015.

“The only way I think you could get both parties to conform to this is if I change my name,” LePage joked.