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By providing Young People (ages 16-24) with 75 hours of career exploration and paid work experiences, businesses can:
- Educate and attract Maine’s future workforce to their industries
- Create potential recruitment prospects - a pipeline of possibility for the state’s economic future
- Demonstrate to our youth that there is opportunity for them in Maine
Career exploration at your company could be:
Job Shadows | Internships | Mentorship |Apprenticeships | Digital Learning | Independent
Study | Community Service | Work-based Learning
How does a Business get involved?
A good place to start is in your own community! Reach out to local schools and educational institutions to build a relationship and they can help you find a student interested in a work experience with you.
There are Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO) Coordinators and Workforce Navigators at 26 school districts, schools, adult education programs and 5 Youth Serving Community-Based Organizations throughout the state you can contact and ask about interested young people who might be a good fit for your business.
If none of the above are near your business, simply reach out to your local school district, a Maine CTE center, college, or adult education programs to see if they have students interested in exploring career opportunities in your industry.
What if I know a Young Person I want to offer a work experience to?
If you have a young person in mind already, you would fill out our Onboarding Form and then contact Manpower, our partner, to begin their onboarding process!
How the Grant Works: Our Program Partners
The Maine Department of Education has awarded over $5.6 million to 26 school districts, schools, adult education programs, and higher education institutions to create or expand extended learning opportunities for students, which include 75 hours of paid work experience.
What is an Extended Learning Opportunity? They are a way for students to gain knowledge and skills, using defined objectives, through flexible instruction or study outside of the traditional classroom methodology.
Employers interested in hosting a young person for a paid work experience are encouraged to connect with their local schools and community-based organizations and together, they can create successful Extended Learning Opportunities!
Extended Learning Opportunities could be:
Job Shadows | Internships | Mentorship | Apprenticeships | Digital Learning | Independent Study | Community Service | Work-based Learning
Funding from the Career Exploration Program also supports the expansion of Extended Learning Opportunities, paid work experiences, and coaching now offered by Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG) for rising juniors and seniors at 90 high schools. Students can earn a Maine Career Exploration Badge when they participate in 40 hours of meaningful work experiences facilitated through an intentionally designed exploration and reflection process. Students receive an academic award of $500 upon completion. The mission of JMG is to identify students who face barriers to education, and to guide each one on to a successful path toward continued education, a meaningful career, and productive adulthood.
Through the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet, five community-based organizations in Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Androscoggin, Penobscot, and Aroostook counties were selected to provide disadvantaged young people access meaningful paid work opportunities and valuable employment experience.
These are Learning Works Youth Build, Eastern Maine Dev Corporation, Midcoast Youth Center, Tree Street Youth, and Aroostook County Action Program.
The program is supported by Manpower which works closely with dedicated Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO) Coordinators and businesses to successfully onboard young people. On their website, they have the forms needed for employers interested in offering work opportunities as part of the Maine Career Exploration Work Experience Program.