2024 Educate Maine Symposium: Full Schedule

10:00am EST

Innovative Healthcare Career Pathways through Pre-Apprenticeships and Apprenticeships

Friday December 13, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am EST

MaineHealth, in collaboration with Southern Maine Community College and JMG, has created a unique Clinical Healthcare Career Awareness Pre-Apprenticeship opportunity with over 100 participants to date. In this session, the Maine Department of Labor will do a short presentation on pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship. Session attendees will also learn from MaineHealth about how and why they created this new opportunity, and how JMG is helping to expand healthcare career pathways to students across the state of Maine. Session participants will have the opportunity for questions during a facilitated Q&A following the presentations.

Speakers

Joan Dolan

Director of Apprenticeship & Strategic Partnerships, Maine Department of Labor

Melinda Hull

Director, Workforce Development Grant Programs, MaineHealth

Rachael Magill

Jobs for Maine Graduates

Friday December 13, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am EST
Oxford

Postsecondary Pathways, STEM

10:00am EST

Navigating Change: Innovative Approaches in Maine's Higher Education

Friday December 13, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am EST

Casco Bay Hall

Join us for an engaging discussion with a distinguished panel of college and university leaders from across Maine. This session will explore emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the landscape of higher education. Panelists will share their visions for the future, innovative strategies their institutions are implementing, and how they are adapting to the evolving demands in education. Engage with leaders who are at the forefront of transforming higher education and gain a deeper understanding of the direction in which Maine's higher education institutions are heading.

Speakers

Dr. James Herbert

President, University of New England

Dave Daigler

President, Maine Community College System

Dannel Malloy

Chancellor, University of Maine System

Jeannine Diddle Uzzi

President-Elect, Thomas College

Friday December 13, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am EST
Casco Bay Hall

Postsecondary Pathways

11:10am EST

Building Collaborative Networks Between Schools, Non-Profits, and Businesses

Friday December 13, 2024 11:10am - 12:00pm EST

Massachusetts

A dynamic panel discussion featuring non-profit and business leaders, educators, and students exploring how forging strong relationships can transform CS education by aligning curriculum with industry needs, integrating critical CS skills, and enhancing experiential learning. We will discuss innovative ideas for integrating relevant CS skills into K-12 programs to better prepare students for future career opportunities, and take questions from the audience. Participants will also learn actionable strategies for developing sustainable partnerships.

Speakers

Angela Oechslie

Program Director, Educate Maine

I direct the Project>Login program at Educate Maine and love to support CS teachers as they implement computer science in their schools. I am a trained CSforALL SCRIPT facilitator, the community partner for Girls Who Code, and the regional partner, along with MMSA, for Code.org's... Read More →

Friday December 13, 2024 11:10am - 12:00pm EST
Massachusetts

Postsecondary Pathways, STEM

11:10am EST

It’s Not Just Astronauts: Building a Workforce for Maine’s Growing Space Sector

Friday December 13, 2024 11:10am - 12:00pm EST

Oxford

Did you know that Maine is one of the best positioned states, both geographically and in terms of existing industries, to grow a robust space sector? Many of our existing design and manufacturing companies are connected to the space industry already or have workforces that can easily map onto the space sector, but to build a robust space economy, Maine must also develop, attract, and leverage companies across all aspects of the value chain, from launch and satellite manufacturing to data analytics, R&D, and monetizable services.

The Maine Space Corporation, a partnership between industry, education, and policymakers, has completed a Space Economy Workforce Roadmap to help achieve these goals. In this session, participants will:

--Learn about the current context of the nascent space economy, both nationally and in Maine specifically,
--Review key learnings from the Space Economy Workforce Roadmap, and
--Take part in breakout groups to discuss what role their own organization or educational institution might play in implementing the Roadmap’s recommendations.

Speakers

Kristin Sims

Science Teacher, Medomak Middle School

Sascha Deri

CEO, blueshift Aerospace

Terry Shehata Ph.D.

Interim Executive Director, Maine Space Corporation

Erica Watson

Maine Development FoundationSenior Program Director Education & Workforce

Friday December 13, 2024 11:10am - 12:00pm EST
Oxford

Postsecondary Pathways, STEM

11:10am EST

Pathways to Potential: Transformative Training and Education

Friday December 13, 2024 11:10am - 12:00pm EST

Lincoln

Join us for "Pathways to Potential," where we will explore innovative short-term training programs designed for justice-involved individuals, new Mainers, and adults who have not considered post-secondary education as an option. Participants will learn about best practices for developing on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and career exploration programs, and discover strategies for fostering collaborations between education and businesses. This session includes an interactive panel discussion, success stories, and practical takeaways that attendees can implement in their own contexts to identify solutions and create sustainable pathways for underrepresented populations.

Speakers

Dan Belyea

Chief Workforce Development Officer, Maine Community College System

Liz Love

Director of Sector Partnerships, Maine Community College System, Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine's Workforce

I have 15 years of experience leading economic development, adult education, and workforce training programs both domestically and internationally. I'm passionate about building strategic, cross-sector partnerships that support economic growth and develop equitable training pathways... Read More →

Octavie Nkama

Director of Workforce Academies, Maine Community College System

With my background in higher education and workforce development, I believe that education is an important key toward a more fulfilling life. Whether it is through short term training or college, everyone should be given the opportunity to learn. It is just a matter of finding the... Read More →

Colleen Coffey

Education Equity and Advancement Coordinator, Washington County Community College

Friday December 13, 2024 11:10am - 12:00pm EST
Lincoln

Postsecondary Pathways, Inclusion

1:50pm EST

First Generation Employees: Best Practices for Workforce Development for Immigrant/Refugee Teens

Friday December 13, 2024 1:50pm - 2:40pm EST

Oxford

In this presentation you will learn best practices for workforce development with high school students, specifically students who are immigrants or refugees. Topics covered include how to break down career skills in a way that is culturally relevant and trauma informed.

Speakers

Andrea Levinsky

Extended Learning Opportunities Coordinator, Portland High School

Friday December 13, 2024 1:50pm - 2:40pm EST
Oxford

Postsecondary Pathways, Inclusion

3:00pm EST

Clean Energy Career Pathways: Innovative Workforce Development Strategies and Partnerships

Friday December 13, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm EST

Massachusetts

The Clean Energy Career Pathways panel will be hosted by the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) within the Governor’s Energy Office. Since 2022, the CEP has invested $4.9 million in clean energy workforce development initiatives across the state. The panel will begin with a presentation on the growing clean energy economy, the range of career opportunities and skills required, and a high- level overview of statewide clean energy workforce development initiatives. Following the presentation, the CEP Program Manager will lead a panel of 2-4 Clean Energy Partnership grantees who can speak to their innovative workforce development programs. Examples would include successful pre-apprenticeship, short term training and registered apprenticeships engaging diverse adult populations, youth and rural communities in clean energy career pathways and employment with clean energy businesses. Learning objectives: Greater understanding of career pathways in clean energy and innovative strategies and partnerships to support diverse learners, youth and rural communities.

Speakers

Kelly Sandman

Board President & Instructor, We Built This

I love building things, all kinds of things: houses, furniture, meals, clothes, gardens, relationships, to name a few. I love sharing my enthusiasm for life in general with others. I love learning new things. I love telling stories, singing, rowing, monkeying up and down staging... Read More →

Ruth Kermish-Allen

Executive Director, Maine Math & Science Alliance

Anna Heath

CPO/Project Manager, Maine Passive House

Brie O'Malley

Director of Revision Energy Training Center, ReVision Energy

Abbie Yamamoto, Ph.D.

Executive Director, Portland Adult Education

Heidi Cian

STEM Education Specialist, MMSA

Researcher exploring STEM identity development in culturally nurturing contexts

Friday December 13, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm EST
Massachusetts

Postsecondary Pathways, STEM

3:00pm EST

Integrating Business Mentoring in Maine Schools

Friday December 13, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm EST

Lincoln

There is growing student interest statewide in entrepreneurship as part of college and career pathways. To help students pursue this pathway, partnerships with the education and business communities are particularly important. In this session, participants will hear about a partnership between SCORE, a program offering free mentoring and other educational resources to small businesses, and the United Technologies Center in Bangor. Through placing business volunteers at the school, students are able to access support for everything from marketing to networking to mentoring in high school and into their postsecondary careers. This session will also focus on what the business community could do to help support schools using the many resources that are available through SCORE. Please bring your ideas and join the conversation.

Friday December 13, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm EST
Lincoln

Postsecondary Pathways

2024 Educate Maine Symposium

From $113.58