Unemployment in Maine and across much of the United States is at its lowest in eight years. Yet when the Madison Paper mill closes May 14, 200 employees will lose their jobs. Alas, good jobs are not easy to find in Somerset County, and those who will lose their jobs at Madison likely want to stay where they are — at home in rural Maine, making a good living, embedded in their community, and providing stability for themselves and their families.

Fortunately there are options. Kennebec Valley Community College can help unemployed adults at any age develop new skills for stable, satisfying work with good wages and solid benefits.

KVCC has programs that take anywhere from one month to two years to complete and are open to anyone with a high school diploma or GED. Many people don’t realize that 3 out of 4 KVCC students are adults — many over the ages of 30 and 40 — who want to learn a new skill and change careers.

Many adults who have been in the workplace for a number of years are anxious about returning to school, and in particular to college. A brief visit to the KVCC campuses and a chat with an advisor in the enrollment center tend to put potential adult students at ease. Much of the fear melts away and most everyone gets excited about the many options available. This represents a chance to do something different, learn something new, pursue a passion and grow as a person.

KVCC offers refresher courses to help adult students begin their preferred programs with the necessary math and writing level to be successful. The college has a pool of advisors to guide students as they plan their program and then connect them to any support that they might need. It also has tutors who can help with math, science and writing at any point. While many courses are face-to-face in a classroom or in a lab setting, many others can be completed online from home with basic Internet access.

KVCC has had great success working with displaced workers in recent plant closures, most notably the UTC Fire & Security plant in Pittsfield. Approximately one-third of the UTC staff who lost their jobs chose to pursue education upon layoff, and nearly half of those chose to retrain at KVCC. Many have already graduated or will graduate this May with a degree or certificate in pocket and a new job in hand.

The sooner a displaced worker contacts the college, the sooner we can get them on a path to getting the skills they need to get re-employed in a new field that makes them happy and keeps them local.

KVCC is eager to help the employees of Madison Paper feel good about their future and their ability to acquire new skills, ensure a stable livelihood and safeguard optimism. The important thing is to act early, explore the options and gather accurate and specific information about programs of interest.

Each year since 2012, KVCC has been ranked by the Aspen Institute as one of the best two-year colleges in America. More than 95 percent of recent KVCC graduates were employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation, and more than 90 percent of KVCC’s graduates stay in Maine, with most of them in central Maine.

KVCC’s small class sizes, low cost, excellent support services and flexible scheduling appeal to students seeking a better future in comfortable surroundings. The college boasts the lowest tuition rate in the New England and also has access to significant financial aid and scholarship resources.

Generous financial aid packages cover the full cost of tuition and fees for approximately 80 percent of full-time students who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The cost of full-time study, of course, is covered for all Trade Adjustment Act-eligible students, such as those from Madison Paper.

Anyone interested in exploring options should talk to an enrollment advisor, take a tour of KVCC’s two campuses, and get started right away. KVCC provides an affordable and practical path to success.

Call KVCC at 453-5822 or learn more at www.kvcc.me.edu.

Richard Hopper is the president of Kennebec Valley Community College.