December 18, 2023
CONTACT: Amy Scott, Program Manager, Northern Forest Center
BETHEL, MAINE — A $1.2-million grant from the US Department of Labor will help high school students in western Maine explore career opportunities in the region, with a likely emphasis on natural resource-based industries, including wood products, outdoor recreation, and hospitality and tourism.
The Northern Forest Center secured the grant from the US Department of Labor’s Workforce Opportunities for Rural Communities (WORC) program to support workforce development across four school districts in Northern Oxford County, including the River Valley, Bethel Area, and Oxford Hills.
The funds will support Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO) coordinators to work with students in five high schools during the next three years in Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, Dirigo High School in Dixfield, Buckfield High School in Buckfield, Telstar High School in Bethel, and Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in South Paris.
“Extended Learning Opportunities are experiences outside the regular classroom day that provide hands-on learning for students related to career exploration,” said Amy Scott, program director for the Northern Forest Center. “The goal is to give students meaningful work experience, let them test the fields of work they think they’re interested in, and help them build relationships with local business leaders. We want them to see that there are good career opportunities here in western Maine.”
The learning opportunities include internships, paid work experiences, trainings, experiential field trips, and more. The opportunities are tailored to each student and their schools; ELO coordinators work with students, teachers, businesses, and community partners to design and implement opportunities across the school year.
“The district is incredibly excited about this opportunity,” said Pam Doyen, superintendent of RSU 56. “Without the WORC grant, it would have been virtually impossible for us to implement an ELO coordinator. Our students will benefit greatly from these experiences. Having real-life, relevant learning experiences in various workplaces will support our students’ success during and after high school.”
“We’re thrilled that this program will help young people in the region build relationships with area businesses,” said Rob Riley, president of the Northern Forest Center. “The future success of rural communities depends on their ability to compete for and retain young residents.”
The Center secured the $1.2-million grant on behalf of the Maine West partnership, which the Center coordinates. The local and regional organizations in Maine West work together to enhance community well-being in western Maine through increased collaboration across the economic, education, health, and conservation sectors. The Northern Forest Center is a regional innovation and investment partner creating rural vibrancy by connecting people, economy, and the forested landscape across the 30-million-acre Northern Forest of northern Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York.
Two members of the Maine West partnership will take lead roles in managing the workforce development initiative. Rural Aspirations Project will provide professional development for the ELO coordinators, offer technical support for teachers and administrators as they build out community-based learning models within their schools, and will serve as a liaison between area businesses and the schools. Community Concepts Finance Corporation will support local businesses in designing and providing these opportunities and will streamline the process of connecting with schools.
“The Maine West region is rich in natural resource-based industries,” said Korah Soll from Rural Aspirations. “We have wood product manufacturers, businesses based on outdoor recreation, hospitality, and tourism, so we anticipate connecting students to opportunities in these fields particularly, though not to the exclusion of other local employment opportunities.”
“In such a fast-paced, ever-changing world, today’s high school students need hands-on experiences that encourage the development of self-confidence, employability skills, and community connections to those who can inspire future career goals,” said Carrie Lynch, ELO coordinator at Telstar High School. “The ELO program is the bridge between local businesses and our schools, one that allows students to aspire, connect, and grow in the most authentic ways possible. ELO also supports classroom teachers in developing community partners to support their own curriculum, enabling students to explore immediate real-world application of subject matter.”
The three-year project will cost $1.8 million in total, with the federal WORC grant providing $1.2 million or 67 percent of the cost. The remaining $595,200, or 33 percent, will come primarily from the school districts, which have varied sources of funding.
Other businesses and nonprofits are partnering in the workforce development initiative but will not receive funding. These include Central Western Maine Workforce Development Board, ND Paper, Irving, and Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce.
Maine West partners have been collaborating since 2016 to bring a cross-sector approach to work in three areas: Active Communities, Educational Attainment and Aspirations, and Broadband Access and Adoption.