Labor economist John Dorrer can unleash a flurry of statistics that link college degrees with economic growth, and highlight a growing skills gap, reports the Bangor Daily News. For instance, 60 percent of jobs in the United States require at least an associate degree, but only 40 percent of Americans obtain a degree by the age of 27. In Maine, in 1990, 52.2 percent of the work force had a high school degree or less; 26.9 percent had some college or an associate degree and 20.9 percent had a bachelor’s degree or higher…