Annapolis, MD — Governor Moore and the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) today announced a $2.38 million federal grant to launch the Maryland Rural Pathways to Prosperity Network (MD Pathways).
The four-year initiative connects nine rural community colleges and universities across the Eastern Shore, Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, and Northern Maryland. By partnering directly with local businesses and state agency leaders, MD Pathways ensures students graduate with industry-recognized credentials, paid workplace experience, and clear degree pathways in fast-growing local careers in healthcare, cybersecurity, aerospace, high-tech agriculture, and education.
“A student’s zip code should never limit their opportunity to earn a good living, buy a home, and build a future right here in Maryland,” said Gov. Moore. “This federal investment allows us to meet rural students where they are. By connecting local colleges directly with regional employers in industries of the future, we are opening doors to paid apprenticeships and high-wage careers for families across our entire state.”
For working families in rural areas, postsecondary education can often feel out of reach or disconnected from local job opportunities. This new funding breaks down those barriers by bringing targeted job training directly to community campuses, allowing local students to build in-demand skills while remaining in their hometowns. By creating meaningful and valuable connections from classroom learning to steady, high-paying jobs in regional industries, the initiative offers rural students a practical path to financial security and a brighter economic future.
“Higher education is the single most powerful engine we have for regional economic mobility in Maryland,” said Elena Quiroz-Livanis, Interim Secretary of the Maryland Higher Education Commission. “MD Pathways puts the 2026–2030 Maryland State Plan for Higher Education into direct action. We are bringing a unified, data-driven approach to our rural campuses so that a nursing student in Allegany County, a cybersecurity analyst in Harford County, or an AgTech specialist on the Eastern Shore gets the exact hands-on training, paid workplace experience, and employer connections needed to step directly into a high-paying career.”
Real Impact for Maryland Families
- For Rural College Students: Clearer, faster paths from short-term certificates and associate degrees directly into four-year bachelor’s degree programs, eliminating lost credits and wasted tuition.
- For Hands-On Learners: Access to at least 500 new paid internships, registered apprenticeships, and work-based learning opportunities where students earn industry wages while completing their studies.
- For Working Adults & Job-Seekers: Expanded access to short-term, career-focused training programs approved for federal Workforce Pell grants, allowing workers to quickly upgrade their skills without debt.
- For Future-Ready Workers: Training in artificial intelligence (AI) literacy and digital tools embedded directly into everyday classes—giving rural graduates a distinct edge in today’s job market.
The MD Pathways network reflects an integrated, whole-of-government effort built through close collaboration between MHEC, the Maryland Department of Labor, the Maryland Department of Commerce, the Governor’s Workforce Development Board, and the Community Funding Accelerator (CFA)—facilitated by the Governor’s Office for Children.
“The Community Funding Accelerator was created to make sure Maryland aggressively competes for every federal dollar available to strengthen our communities,” said Carmel Martin, Special Secretary for the Governor’s Office for Children. “By bringing our state agencies, local colleges, and employers together around a unified strategy, the CFA helped turn a shared vision for rural economic mobility into $2.38 million in direct federal support for Maryland students.”
State workforce and economic development leaders are aligning state resources to ensure program graduates move directly into regional hiring pipelines.
“Hands-on training models like registered apprenticeship are proven to yield successful careers, and help both workers and employers thrive,” said Maryland Secretary of Labor Portia Wu. “This grant will enable Maryland to expand vital training opportunities in rural communities, helping students to not just access jobs, but access lifelong, family-sustaining careers in high-demand fields.”
“To keep Maryland’s economy growing, our higher education programs must align directly with the needs of expanding industries like aerospace, agriculture, and cybersecurity,” said Maryland Department of Commerce Secretary Harry Coker, Jr. “This initiative helps ensure our rural colleges are producing the highly skilled talent that regional employers need to innovate and thrive.”
MHEC will serve as the statewide coordinating entity for the network, partnering directly with nine rural-serving campuses that act as economic engines for their regions:
- Allegany College of Maryland (Western Maryland)
- Carroll Community College (Northern Maryland)
- Cecil College (Northern Maryland)
- College of Southern Maryland (Southern Maryland)
- Garrett College (Western Maryland)
- Harford Community College (Northern Maryland)
- St. Mary’s College of Maryland (Southern Maryland)
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Eastern Shore)
- Wor-Wic Community College (Eastern Shore)
“This federal investment empowers our diverse coalition of colleges and universities to deepen our impact across rural Maryland,” said partnering Institutional Presidents in a joint statement. “By expanding career-connected learning and aligning academic programs directly with high-demand regional industries, we are creating seamless pathways from education to family-sustaining careers for students on every campus.”
Over the next four years, the project will directly serve more than 1,000 rural students, partner with at least 50 regional businesses, and launch 25 new workforce credential pathways. To guarantee accountability for Maryland taxpayers, the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS) Center will independently track job placement rates and graduate wage increases over time.
To learn more about available career pathways and partner campuses, or to view the 2026–2030 Maryland State Plan for Higher Education, visit www.mhec.maryland.gov.
