Maine Career Exploration: Interim Evaluation Report

Authors

Sydney Brown, Data Innovation Project, University of Southern Maine
Julia Bergeron-Smith MPPM, MSW, University of Southern Maine, Muskie School of Public Service, Cutler Institute for Health and Social PolicyFollow
Sarah Goan, The Data Innovation ProjectFollow
Madison Burke, University of Southern Maine, Catherine Cutler InstituteFollow
Becky Wurwarg, University of Southern Maine, Cutler InstituteFollow

Files

Description

The Maine Career Exploration (MCE) Program is a two-year pilot initiative designed to connect young people with Maine’s economy through hands-on, age-appropriate career exploration experiences. Launched in 2022 with funding from Governor Janet Mills’ Jobs and Recovery Plan, the program seeks to provide meaningful paid work experiences, expand career exploration programming in schools and communities, and create sustainable infrastructure to support long-term career readiness opportunities across the state. Managed by the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, the initiative invests in three main areas: the Maine Children’s Cabinet Career Exploration Pilot Project, the Maine Department of Education’s Extended Learning Opportunity Expansion Program, and the Jobs for Maine Graduates Career Exploration Expansion. Each of these programs focuses on engaging youth with employers, nonprofits, and public sector organizations to help them better understand career pathways aligned with their interests. Although the specific program designs differ, they share a common goal of strengthening career and educational skills in the short term while contributing to long-term workforce development. By exposing young people to real-world work experiences, MCE aims to build stronger connections between students and Maine employers, support local economic growth, and foster a more skilled and resilient future workforce.

Publication Date

3-2024

Publisher

Data Innovation Project

City

Portalnd, Maine

Keywords

career exploration, youth career development, job readiness, workforce development, Data Innovation Project

Disciplines

Art and Design | Digital Humanities | Education | Graphic Design | Interdisciplinary Arts and Media | Statistics and Probability

Comments

Produced by the Data Innovation Project on behalf of Maine Career Exploration program

Recommended Citation

Brown, Sydney; Bergeron-Smith, Julia MPPM, MSW; Goan, Sarah; Burke, Madison; and Wurwarg, Becky, "Maine Career Exploration: Interim Evaluation Report" (2024). Publications. 5.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/dip_publications/5