Educate Maine’s Project>Login program received a "TechHire Community" designation from the White House on Tuesday, August 4 on behalf of the program's extensive network of Maine employers, educators, and workforce colleagues. Project>Login joins 10 cities and states that received this new designation, and 21 others that were announced in March.
Educate Maine’s Program Director, Jay Collier, and Ken Grady, Chief Information Officer at IDEXX Laboratories, attended White House Demo Day where the newest TechHire cohort was announced. The Demo Day celebrated innovators from around the country who joined President Obama to “demo” their individual success stories and show why every American should be given the opportunity to pursue their own bold ideas.
The TechHire Initiative, launched by President Obama in March 2015, is a multi-sector effort and call-to-action to empower Americans with the skills they need, through universities and community colleges as well as non-traditional approaches that offer efficient or flexible paths to technology training.
Maine will be joining the first cohort of 21 TechHire Communities that was announced in March.
Educate Maine's Project>Login is a nonpartisan public-private partnership charged with expanding the network of computing and IT professionals in Maine through engagement, education, and employment opportunities. Project>Login was launched in March 2013 by several influential Maine-based employers, in partnership with the University of Maine System, and with in-kind support from the State. Since then, Educate Maine has expanded the program to include new business and education sponsors, with support for IT initiatives at Maine Community Colleges.
The Executive Director of Educate Maine, Edmund Cervone, said “Educate Maine’s goal is that all of Maine’s K-12 students will graduate from high school prepared for success in postsecondary education and the workplace. Project>Login is an important part of our goal helping to create pathways to connect students with Maine employers to gain real world experience and hands on learning.”
“We are pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with other cities and states around the country who are working to overcome the same challenge: connecting promising candidates with high-demand careers in computing and IT,” said Jay Collier, Project>Login Program Director, Educate Maine.
"Project>Login will benefit from lessons already learned in prior Tech Hire Communities as well as access to employment data and accelerated training offered by LinkedIn, Glass Door, General Assembly, EdX, Code.org, Opportunity@Work and more," he said. "Without our involvement in TechHire, Maine would have limited access to these world-class research and development services. All of our partners — employers, educators, workforce colleagues and, of course, Maine citizens — will benefit."
Project>Login’s government partners for the TechHire initiative — Chancellor James Page of the University of Maine System, Senator Susan M. Collins and Senator Angus S. King, Jr. — have been strong advocates of the program. In a joint letter of support to The National Economic Council during the TechHire selection process, Senators Collins and King wrote, “Project>Login is working to accelerate efforts to help qualified candidates identify and pursue pathways to paid internships in CS and IT positions with Maine employers. This includes people with on-the-job experience but no degree, people for whom English is a second language, rural residents, underemployed, long-term unemployed, and single parents with childcare challenges.”
“I was honored to have been chosen as a business partner representative to join Educate Maine here today. I am astounded at the level of collaboration this program - and other like it across the country - has achieved. Through Project>Login, IDEXX and many other employers are creating and investing in a pipeline of talent in Maine that have the skills and passion to innovate and succeed in a technology-driven market,” commented Ken Grady, Chief Information Officer, IDEXX Laboratories.
The TechHire Community designation is an exciting honor and recognition for Educate Maine’s Project>Login program.
The following Maine employers have signed onto the Tech Hire initiative by confirming they recruit and hire candidates based on their demonstrated technology skills regardless of where they gained them.
Educate Maine is a business-led education advocacy organization whose mission is to champion college and career readiness and increased education attainment for all Maine people. Educate Maine believes we must recognize the importance of educational efforts that span early childhood through adult learning, and provide a continuous pipeline of human talent for our state economy. The organization’s goal is that all of Maine’s K-12 students will graduate from high school prepared for success in postsecondary education and the workplace. For more information, please visit educatemaine.org.
Project>Login, a program of Educate Maine, is all about computing at work. Maine companies are eagerly seeking computer-smart people to develop software, configure networks, manage projects, and much more. Project>Login was created by businesses that want to help Maine people get engaged, get educated and get employed. The Project>Login website captures and presents knowledge about computing and information technology, from education to internships to jobs. Business sponsors are: Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., MaineHealth, Maine Medical Center, Tyler Technologies, Inc., and WEX. Academic sponsors are: the University of Maine System, Husson University, and Thomas College. Foundation supporters are: Bangor Savings Bank Foundation and TD Charitable Foundation. For more information, please visit projectlogin.com.
TechHire is a multi-sector initiative and call to action to empower Americans with the skills they need, through universities and community colleges but also nontraditional approaches like “coding boot camps,” and high-quality online courses that can rapidly train workers for a well-paying job, often in just a few months. Employers across the United States are in critical need of talent with these skills. To give American the opportunity they deserve, and the skills they need to be competitive in a global economy the White House is highlighting TechHire partnerships. For more information, click here.
“Project>Login is a strong example of a successful sector partnership — a workforce development initiative led by businesses, seeking to fill in-demand jobs critical to our state’s economic growth, and leveraging all available resources. This project addresses the many facets of Maine’s workforce challenges by not only attracting new talent, but increasing our training capacity and upskilling local talent.”
“The University of Maine System has supported Project>Login from its inception. This designation recognizes the great work underway on our campuses and in our communities as faculty, employers, and students all work together to help Maine people thrive in their future careers and in our future workforce.”
“We are grateful for this recognition of Project>Login, which has grown to a statewide campaign over the past three years due to the dedication of a network of employers, educators, and workforce partners who have a shared vision: helping Maine citizens thrive and Maine businesses succeed.”
“As a tech-focused company headquartered in South Portland, WEX is pleased that Maine has been designated a TechHire community. A STEM education is desired by employers across geographies and industries, and the internship component of TechHire’s approach is a crucial element to developing new talent. At WEX, we believe intern programs are a win-win – students receive relevant, professional experience and companies get fresh ideas and new ways of approaching problems.”
“IDEXX is creating and investing in a pipeline of talent in Maine that have the skills and passion to innovate and succeed in a technology driven market. Our work with the university system and other committed partners in the state has created internship programs that continue to grow as a terrific and vital source of new talent, bringing real world knowledge, hands-on experience and fresh perspectives to the workplace. It is truly inspiring to see the energy, engagement and diversity in these programs as we create the connections for that talent with opportunities to build careers in science and technology that are making a difference in both our community and in a global industry.”
“Tyler Technologies is excited to be included in the TechHire Community. We value our partnership with Educate Maine and we’ve had great success working with Project>Login on the Maine App Challenge for high school students, promoting internship opportunities and attending student networking events. We are committed to applying TechHire’s initiatives of training Mainers for skilled positions and following competency-based recruiting practices.”
“SMCC has invested nearly $2 million to renovate our Computer Science & Engineering Center, buy the newest and best equipment, update our curriculum, and produce graduates with in-demand skills. We are investing in our students to ensure they are well-prepared for careers in the fast-changing world of information technology. All upgrades are proceeding in close consultation with the businesses and organizations that need trained IT workers.”
“The Learning Through Technology Team at the Maine Department of Education is excited about Maine receiving a TechHire designation. Through the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, our team is working to improve learning by leveraging digital devices for learning and work. We find Project>Login’s goal of hands-on learning via paid internships leading to competency-based hiring parallel to our own. Initiatives such as this align with Maine DOE’s goal for students to be prepared for college and careers.”
The White House on Tuesday added Educate Maine to its participants in a national effort to increase job openings for computer science skills, a move that stands to expand the Maine nonprofit group’s resources.
Ed Cervone, executive director of Educate Maine, said the designation doesn’t directly lead to federal funds but will allow his group to access services and advice from major tech companies participating in the national initiative, including the professional social networking site LinkedIn.
“We’re excited about the potential opportunities but we know very immediately we get access to high-level technical resources that this larger community is using,” Cervone said. “And that’s going to go so far with improving our capacity to do this job.”...
Cervone said the award Tuesday, for which Educate Maine program director Jay Collier and Idexx Chief Information Officer Ken Grady traveled to Washington, D.C., will give the Maine program a higher national profile as it seeks to expand its roster of participating employers and educational institutions.
“I think this is the first step to saying we could scale this up,” Cervone said...
Cervone said Project Login hopes connections with other participants will help it develop programs at Maine K-12 schools to find and encourage students to pursue careers in information technology.
A program aimed at addressing a void in Maine workers skilled in computing and information technologies is being recognized by the White House as an example of innovation.
Ed Cervone is executive director of Educate Maine, the force behind Project Login, which he says was designed "to get students interested and involved and connect them to paying apprenticeships and internships at about 40 participating employers across Maine."
The Project Login campaign, which also involves public and private colleges in Maine, is receiving the TechHire Community designation at the first-ever "White House Demo Day" in Washington Tuesday.
Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King applauded an announcement from the White House that Educate Maine’s Project >Login campaign will be designated as a TechHire Community. Launched in March 2015, the TechHire initiative aims to empower Americans with the skills they need to pursue technology training.
As a Tech Hire community, participating businesses in Maine will receive in-kind services from LinkedIn, LaunchCode, and other businesses to help recruit candidates and match them with positions more efficiently in IT and tech-related industries. The formal announcement of the designation will occur later today at the White House during the inaugural “White House Demo Day.” With this announcement, Maine and 9 other communities from around the country are being recognized today as a national leader in expanding access to tech jobs – joining the first round of TechHire communities announced in March 2015.
“We are thrilled that Educate Maine and its partners have been successful in their bid to have Maine designated a TechHire Community,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “Project>Login has already yielded impressive results, and with this recognition, we are confident that this valuable Maine partnership will accelerate the growth we’ve seen in Maine’s tech sector and help many of our citizens embark on a meaningful and rewarding career path. With this announcement and the news that Portland will benefit from the ‘Rise of the Rest Tour’, it’s clear that the our tech and startup growth is gaining national attention and expanding opportunities for Maine people and businesses.”
President Obama is hosting a White House event today at which Educate Maine's Project>Login program will be honored along with 21 other projects from across the country as innovators in offering efficient or flexible paths to technology training.
Jay Collier, Educate Maine's program director, and Ken Grady, chief information officer at IDEXX Laboratories, will attend today's White House Demo Day event, where they will receive a "TechHire Community" designation from the president on behalf of Project>Login's extensive network of Maine employers, educators and workforce colleagues.
The TechHire Initiative, launched by President Obama in March, is a multi-sector effort and call-to-action to empower Americans with the skills they need, through universities and community colleges and programs like Project>Login to become qualified for jobs in the technology fields.
