Agenda
Subject to change.
Monday, November 18, 2024 | Augusta Civic Center | Augusta, Maine
9:00 am - 9:30 am
9:30 am - 9:45 am
Registration, Networking, Refreshments
Welcome & National Apprenticeship Week Proclamation
9:45 am - 10:20 am
Opening Session - Meeting Workforce Needs through Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship
Facilitator: Dr. Wendy Kostenbauder
Presented by: Nichole Sawyer, Dean of Workforce Development & Community Engagement- Washington County Community College; Sue Dow, Principle - Rose M Gaffney School; Hannah Greene, Senior Workforce Development Specialist- Educate Maine; Anna Heath, Production Manager - Maine Passive House; Erin Childs, Lead Carpenter Apprentice - Maine Passive House
To kick off the Inaugural Maine Apprenticeship Summit, we are delighted to feature two apprenticeship sponsors as they share how registered apprenticeships and certified pre-apprenticeships have helped meet the workforce needs of businesses in their area. Washington County Community College has been registered as an apprenticeship sponsor with the Maine Apprenticeship Program since 2019. They are now working with 23 businesses across 11 occupations to meet workforce needs in their area. Educate Maine is new to the apprenticeship space, registering their first program in 2023. In that time, they have registered 15 business partners and 17 occupations across the state. Learn from these two partners what these programs have meant to businesses across Maine.
10:20 am - 10:30 am
Break & Table Networking
10:30 am - 11:30 am
Morning Breakout Sessions
Apprenticeship 101
Facilitator: Joan Dolan
Presented by: Ben Kenney, Career Center Consultant - Maine Department of Labor; Eric Weidman, Career Center Consultant - Maine Department of Labor
So you’ve heard of apprenticeship... but what does it really mean? The Maine Apprenticeship Program (MAP) is for all types of industries, including healthcare, construction, manufacturing, clean energy and infrastructure, education, hospitality, IT, and more. Best of all, the MAP team does all the heavy lifting. We’ll help you do the paperwork, design your customized training, and develop the content. Learn from the Maine Apprenticeship Program staff about the basics of creating a registered apprenticeship program.
Engaging Women in Non-traditional Occupations
Facilitator: Sam Dina
Presented by: Jill Ashton, Regional Administrator – US DOL Women’s Bureau;
Eleanor Delamater, Policy Analyst – US DOL Women’s Bureau
How do we make sure apprenticeship programs are inclusive? Today, only 15% of the construction workforce is made up of women. Join for a session with the US DOL Women's Bureau to discuss the challenges that women apprentices face and learn about best practices via case studies from the field to support women apprentices in non-traditional occupations such as providing wraparound supports, mentorship, safety & inclusion training, and more.
Strategies to Scale Existing Apprenticeship Programs
Facilitator: Dr. Wendy Kostenbauder
Presented by: Kelly Flagg, Executive Director – Associated General Contractors of Maine; Michaela LaPorte, Workforce Development – Somerset Career and Technical Center; Lori Moses, Coordinator of Apprenticeship and Credential Programs – Maine Roads to Quality
Thinking about expanding from your existing apprenticeship program? Hear from three current apprenticeship sponsors on how they have been successful in expanding the number of apprenticeship occupations, partnering businesses, and apprentices in recent years. This will be an interactive session where attendees can share their pain points and questions, then brainstorm solutions to scale existing models.
11:30 am - 11:45 am
Break & Table Networking
11:45 am - 12:30 pm
Presentation: Mentoring Apprentices
Facilitator: Joan Dolan
Presented by: Amy Beller, Senior TA Consultant in the Workforce Program Area at American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Mentor Training- AIR will provide information to attendees on the benefits of mentor training and ways states are using creative approaches to develop mentor training programs throughout the country. The importance of mentor training to recruit and retain a more diverse workforce and expand apprenticeship programs throughout the country.
12:30 pm - 1:15 pm
Lunch
1:15 pm - 2:15 pm
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
Recruiting & Retaining Under-Represented Communities
Facilitator: Tarlan Ahmadov
Presented by: Razell Ward, Assistant Director – Lewiston Adult Education;
Miyabi “Abbie” Yamamoto, Ph.D., Executive Director – Portland Adult Education;
Barbara Stoddard, State-wide Senior Coordinator – NMRC; Jo Remillard, Director – People’s Inclusive Welding
Registered apprenticeships have traditionally lacked diversity within their programs. However, Maine programs have seen an increase in representation across demographics in recent years with 9.9% of apprentices identifying as Hispanic or a member of the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities in 2023. Learn from Lewiston Adult Education, Portland Adult Education, and People’s Inclusive Welding on strategies to recruit and retain under-represented communities, and the benefits to your business in doing so.
Labor Laws, Inflation Reduction Act, and Registered Apprenticeship
Facilitator: Laura Fortman, Commissioner, Maine Department of Labor
Presented by: Rachel McCleery, Senior Advisor, IRA Program Office, U.S. Department of the Treasury; Michael Qualter, Deputy Administrator, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; Joseph Sweeney, Senior Policy Advisor, Wage and Hour Division, U.S. Department of Labor; Scott Cotnoir, Director, Wage and Hour Division, Maine Department of Labor
A key session for infrastructure, clean energy, and construction sector partners, this conversation will include an overview of labor standard provisions, apprenticeship requirements, and intersections within the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) tax incentives and state clean energy law. The session will include best practices and case studies for apprenticeship sponsors and employers on how to comply with federal and state labor standards and unlock IRA tax incentives.
Pre-Apprenticeship 101
Facilitator: Michelle Gayne
Presented by: Kristine McCallister, Apprenticeship Program Manager – Maine Department of Labor; Jordan McMullen, Apprenticeship Navigator – Foster Career and Technical Education Center
Certified pre-apprenticeship programs are new to Maine and can be a great way to build your talent pipeline. Each pre-apprenticeship is designed to prepare individuals to enter into and succeed in a registered apprenticeship program. Learn the basics of what a certified pre-apprenticeship program is and how to develop one or connect to an existing program.
2:15 pm - 2:30 pm
Break & Table Networking
2:30 pm - 3:20 pm
Facilitated Networking: Meet Your Regional Workforce Partners
Did you know that each region in Maine has dedicated workforce partners? They include the Local Workforce Boards, Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) Service Providers, Adult Education providers, community colleges, and Maine CareerCenters. Each of these partners can help provide you and your employees with supportive service and educational resources. In this session, we will have three breakout regions corresponding to the three workforce areas in Maine. Attendees will be able to meet their workforce partners and learn how other businesses have successfully engaged with them around registered apprenticeships and certified pre-apprenticeships. Breakout groups will include: oCoastal Counties: York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Waldo, and Knox counties oCentral Western Maine: Androscoggin, Franklin, Kennebec, Oxford, and Somerset counties oNorthern Maine: Aroostook, Penobscot, Hancock, Washington, and Piscataquis counties
3:20 pm - 3:45 pm
Table Networking & Summit Close