Caribou tops frequent user list
CARIBOU, Maine — High school students in Aroostook County are learning more about career opportunities thanks to a collaboration between the Aroostook Partnership and educators in the region.
The partnership purchased access to the Virtual Job Shadow (VJS) program for every high school in Aroostook County. It is an online career exploration resource that provides all the tools and resources for charting a career path by choice, not chance.
End-of-the-year totals show the service was used more than 2,300 times by students and more than 160 by educators.
RSU 39, based in Caribou, was by far the most frequent user with more than 765 times accessed. SAD 29 and SAD 1 were the next most frequent users.
“The partnership decided to purchase VJS as we view securing our future workforce as our highest priority. We’ve been encouraging all high schools to promote job opportunities, local businesses tours or inviting local businesses to speak to students to increase awareness of County businesses and jobs that are increasing every year as more folks reach retirement age,” said Bob Dorsey, Aroostook Partnership president and CEO.
“We asked the VJS program folks if we [AP] could purchase the program for all schools and get a discounted rate and they said yes – thus instead of paying roughly $15,000, we got a quote for $8,900 saving $6,000 for this valuable tool.”
The Partnership picked up the entire tab for the program last year and this year it is a 50/50 split between AP and the districts. In fact, one of AP’s newest major investors, Machias Savings, dedicated their $5,000 investment to the VJS purchase as supporting education is one of their top priorities.
Dorsey said the online program is comprehensive, students can see videos of different professions, learn about the education and skills needed, job environment, and see the typical salaries as well. VJS is very user friendly and students can access the program from any computer or tablet anytime they wish.
“The end game for purchasing Virtual Job Shadow is to provide students a continuous access to job and career information in hopes that they may be able to decide earlier on potential jobs or careers here in Aroostook County,” added Dorsey. “This approach is more cost effective for schools than busing students all over the County to job shadow opportunities and ties in nicely with our efforts to expose them to companies and careers right here in Aroostook.”
For more information, visit high school guidance offices or, if your district is part of Gear Up, the Gear Up Coordinator. You can also contact Dorsey atrdorsey@aroostookpartnership.org.
The Aroostook Partnership is a public-private partnership, representing nearly 100 businesses, Northern Maine Community College, Husson University, University of Maine at Fort Kent, University of Maine at Presque Isle and Northern Maine Development Commission.
