PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Aroostook County Action Program, Inc. (ACAP), together with Project>Login and Educate Maine, announced that TechHire, a statewide $4 million federal project funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and managed by Coastal Counties Workforce Inc., will hold a recruitment event for eligible young adults in Aroostook County on Thursday, April 6, at the Presque Isle Career Center.
The day will be broken into two stages: a 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. slot tailored to local high school students, and a 12:30-2:30 p.m. slot tailored to working adults or people seeking employment.
The TechHire initiative is designed to help young Mainers without four-year degrees get through training as fast as possible in order to fill well-paying, high-growth jobs in Information Technology (IT).
TechHire Communities are in place across the United States. It’s a timely initiative – the demand for IT workers well outstrips supply.
“There are currently about 1,100 open technology jobs in Maine. The challenge is preparing the workforce to fill these jobs. We think young people are the key,” said Angela Oechslie, Project>Login Program Coordinator and TechHire ambassador at Educate Maine.
IT functions are becoming critical in advanced manufacturing, healthcare, finance and banking and public management.
With the advent of high-speed broadband and telecommuting arrangements, tech jobs also are no longer confined to any one place. John Handshoe, BitSource manager, said, “The broadband’s our highway, our shipping lanes, our trains.”
Similarly, said Christy Daggett, senior manager of ACAP Workforce Development, said, “Aroostook County — rural, with strong banking, insurance and government accounting employment, as well several broadband initiatives and a unique connection to the Canadian internet backbone — is well-positioned to take advantage of the projected growth in IT jobs, and TechHire can help us develop the highly skilled workforce to keep supporting growth in the sector,”
Aroostook residents 17 and over with a high school diploma or equivalent can be eligible for training and placement help through TechHire.
To participate in the recruitment event as a school or an employer, please contact ACAP Workforce Development at 764-3721.
