Maine public university career service offices support 1,900 Maine employers annually,
connect work-ready students to thousands of interviews, job postings, and internships
Portland, Maine – More than 100 Maine employers participated in the Portland-region’s largest job and internship fair today in the Sullivan Gym of the University of Maine Southern Maine’s Portland campus. The event provided hundreds of career-focused students with an opportunity to learn more about employers, inquire about specific job and internship opportunities, and network with area workforce professionals.
Every year Maine’s public universities serve 32,000 students and confer 5,500 degrees and credentials making the University of Maine System the state’s largest and most important workforce development resource.
This fall System Chancellor Dannel Malloy launched the Maine Values You student outreach campaign to increase the number of high school graduates pursuing a post-secondary education in Maine. The campaign highlights how $400 million in annual support for the University’s statewide mission provides Maine students with access to 280 accredited degree programs and high-impact experiential learning and career-development opportunities.
The campaign also focuses on the unmatched higher education value available to Maine students and their families. Next fall more than 1,200 Maine high school graduates will be eligible for enough grant and scholarship aid to enroll in Maine’s public universities free of tuition and fee expenses.
Maine Values Experience
University leaders kicked off the USM job and internship fair highlighting how the career-service professionals at the campuses work to connect students with Maine workforce and experiential learning opportunities. This work includes:
- Support for 1,900 Maine employers annually;
- Posting thousands of interview, job, and internship opportunities;
- Publication of the Maine Employer Hiring Guide every semester;
- Hosting career fairs and networking events; and,
- Providing career development support for students
“Advancing workforce readiness and economic development is the lead strategic priority for the University of Maine System,” said James Erwin, Chair of the UMS Board of Trustees. “Today’s job fair is an example of the work done by career-service professionals on our campuses throughout the year to engage our employers and to help prepare our 30,000 public university students for Maine workforce and community leadership opportunities.”
In December the Board adopted a Declaration of Strategic Priorities to guide and expedite public higher education service and reform over the next three to five years.
“At the University of Southern Maine and our sister institutions students learn from renowned scholars and researchers,” said Glenn Cummings, President of the University of Southern Maine. “With $400 million in support for our statewide service and research mission we are able to complement classroom learning with internships and career development opportunities that provide the workforce skills and experience employers value.
“USM’s job and internship fair is the region’s largest because Maine employers know our students are work-ready and capable of making an immediate impact for their organizations.”
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Distributed 11/7/19