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Youth Apprenticeships Help Build Maine's Future Economy

When it comes to building Maine’s future economy, it turns out some of the best ideas are also some of the oldest.

Take youth apprenticeships, for example. We all know about the age-old practice of on the job training for young people. From Ebeneezer Scrooge to Johnny Tremain to a certain reality TV show, the apprentice is familiar cultural character.

But here in Maine, the growing number of apprenticeships offer a real-life solution to our statewide economic challenges, like an aging workforce, a shifting economic model and industrial transformation.  Did you know that there are hundreds of registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships in Maine, training young people in fields from auto tech to building trades to cosmetology?  Educate Maine supports an array of programs in partnership with the state Department of Labor and multiple employers.

To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week (April 27-May 2), let’s meet some of the dynamic young Mainers in those roles:

• Austin Pierce began his Building Construction Craft Laborer apprenticeship at Harbor Builders Associates when he was 16 years old and attending Medomak Valley High School. He became a valued member of the team—so much so that his mentor, his boss and others from HBA attended his high school graduation. With his apprenticeship completed last year, he found and advocated for new training opportunities and worked with HBA to join a weeklong training program at The Shelter Institute.  Now employed fulltime at Harbor Builders, he’s training in mentorship and hoping to soon mentor new apprentices on the job.
• Jacob Morley began his apprenticeship at Goodwin Chevrolet & Mazda when he was 18 and a new high school graduate. Goodwin supported Jacob’s enrollment in an auto tech associates degree program to build his skills portfolio, and he has completed all his on-the-job training hours. He’ll complete his apprenticeship soon, ready to tackle challenges as a full-time auto tech.
• Michael Scannell was an Aquaculture Pioneer, working for Madeleine Point Oyster Company as a pre-apprentice between his junior and senior years at the University of New England. He continued working with Madeleine Point into his senior year (his degree was marine science related) and began the full Shellfish & Seaweed Aquaculture Technician registered apprentice in the spring. Michael got academic credit and internship credit for his apprenticeship work, and his Aquaculture Pioneer experience allowed him to complete the program early and work as farm manager. He has now launched his own business, Saco Bay Sea Farms, and will be hiring an Aquaculture Pioneer pre-apprentice this summer.

Not all registered apprentices in Maine are young people—the programs can be powerful experiences for career changers and older workers as well.  One apprentice supported by Educate Maine went from house painting to working at a fuel company in his 50s, and says “it’s never too late to change your life.”

But youth apprenticeship has a special advantage: it puts Maine’s young people on career paths that will likely keep them employed in Maine, support local businesses now and provide a strong cohort of talented workers and leaders for our future economy. Employers love the program because they can train their future workforce, and apprentices appreciate the early opportunity to choose a path that aligns with their dreams and goals.

As apprenticeship programs grow nationally and in Maine, we will likely hear many more success stories like those of Jacob, Michael and Austin. Their stories reflect more than their personal talent and the commitment of their employers: they offer a peek at future Maine: a workforce and an economy that’s thriving.

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