Project>Login's networking receptions help computing and IT students find paid internships and jobs after graduation with Maine businesses and organizations.
With a high ratio of students to professionals, these receptions give participants an in-depth opportunity to talk with employers about their businesses and employment opportunities, as well as the competencies they are seeking from future colleagues.
These receptions will kick off the 2015 paid internship recruiting season:
These networking receptions are part of a statewide series of relationship-building events for aspiring professionals and Maine employers. They are organized by Project>Login, a program of Educate Maine, a business-led education advocacy organization. Project>Login's vision is that Maine will have a sufficient and sustainable network of well-prepared professionals to fill high-demand computing technology careers in our IT-enabled organizations.
In addition to networking receptions, Project>Login's initiatives include a clearinghouse of internship opportunities with Maine businesses, online resources (from curiosity to career), and a network of support designed to grow the computing and IT workforce.
The lack of trained computing and digital technology professionals is a growing problem nationwide. While the need for this workforce has grown through recent years, the number of college graduates with degrees in this field has dropped.
The U.S. Department of Labor projects that by 2018, 1.4 million computing jobs will have opened in the U.S. If current graduation rates continue, only 61 percent of these jobs could be filled by U.S. computing degree-earners. In Maine, only 39 percent of these jobs could be filled by the state's current rate of graduates.
Project>Login is funded by private-sector businesses affected by the workforce gap. They include Bangor Savings Bank Foundation, Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, IDEXX Laboratories, MaineHealth, Maine Medical Center, TD Bank, Tyler Technologies, Unum, and WEX. Education sponsors are the University of Maine System, Husson University, and Thomas College.
