🔒From apprenticeships to C-suite development, companies steer their futures

At Camden National Bank, a leadership and development program called Horizons, with three levels of curricula ranging from 12 to 18 months, is designed to grow and develop high-potential employees as the future generation who will help steer the company’s growth into future years.

“It’s an opportunity for employees to come together across multiple business lines who might not interact with one another on a day-to-day basis,” says Jaimie Worster, senior vice president of total rewards and human resource information system, or HRIS. “We try to help stakeholders navigate complexities that happen during their professional careers.”

Structured approach

The Horizons program is one of a number of avenues among companies looking to provide professional opportunities. Lack of career development is a top reason people quit their jobs, says Holly Smevog, a career coach and owner of HMS Career Coaching in Portland. Structured approaches include programs like Horizons. There are also apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships and development programs that run in partnership with higher education organizations. Some companies have staff with dedicated employee development roles. Nonprofits and employee-owned businesses often invest proportionally more in their people than larger companies with bigger budgets, notes Smevog. Robust programs at large employers include General Dynamics Bath Iron Works’ entry-level training and professional development programs. Pittsfield-based Cianbro, Maine’s largest construction company, started the Cianbro Institute in 2007 to support professional growth opportunities for team members at any stage of their careers, offering in-house and external resources.

Changing the dynamic

Annual career conversations — separate from performance reviews — cost nothing except time, says Smevog. “Ask: what skills do you want to build? What kind of work energizes you? Where do you want to be in three years?” she continues. “Most employees have career goals their managers have never heard. The conversation alone changes the dynamic.”

Development options are numerous — involvement in projects or meetings outside an employee’s usual role, presenting to senior leadership, sitting in on hiring or budget discussions, job shadowing, cross-functional assignments, committee leadership, mentoring colleagues and serving as a subject matter expert. Development plans can include online courses and industry conferences. But programs alone might not be enough. “Many organizations — public and private — operate in silos and in constant reactive mode,” Smevog says. “Communication systems, relationship-building systems and culture-building infrastructure either do not exist or are not functioning.” Assumptions and resentment can follow, fostering an environment that makes career development difficult. “You can have a good program on paper, but if there is no relationship between a manager and employee, the conversation never happens and the plan goes nowhere,” she says. “By the time the employee quits, the manager is often surprised.” Outside support — structured workshops, coaching contracts, facilitated programs — can help.

Personalized support

Development programs at IDEXX Laboratories Inc. (Nasdaq: IDXX), the Westbrook-based maker of veterinary diagnostics and software, include Heart and SparXX. The latter program, which is managed by leadership program manager Lori Arienti, is for employees looking to clarify their career goals and gain guidance on effectively managing their careers. “They do this through guided exercises, insights and meaningful conversations with a licensed career coach,” says Arienti. SparXX was developed in response to feedback and insights from employees who wanted more guidance on how to navigate growth and development opportunities within IDEXX. “A gap existed in personalized career support,” says Arienti. “IDEXX already offered development plans, learning resources and career frameworks. But employees were looking for personalized, one-on-one support to help them translate self-awareness into a concrete plan.” SparXX is designed to help employees identify career pathways and take proactive steps, supporting internal movement and long-term career growth. It consists of structured, confidential one-to-one career coaching experience with certified internal coaches, spanning 12 to 14 weeks. More than 75 employees have participated. In post-engagement surveys, participants reported greater clarity on their career interests, strengths and values; increased confidence in their career direction and next steps; and more meaningful development conversations with their managers.

Front-line talent

IDEXX’s Heart program is available to U.S. operations hourly employees, says workforce readiness program manager Carrie Foster. The six-month cycle matches eligible employees with a mentor in the area of their career goal. They do job-shadowing, networking and self-chosen education; and receive access to cohort training and support.

“Global operations leaders recognized high-potential talent on the front lines and wanted to expand access and visibility to career and development opportunities,” Foster says. “Many employees brought prior experience or education from other industries or global backgrounds, or a strong interest in growing and contributing in new ways.” Since Heart was formalized in 2022, more than 200 employees have participated; about half completed requirements. “Program completion is not the primary measure of success — some participants secure new roles before completing the program, often with support and advocacy from their mentors,” notes Foster. She adds, “We’re also seeing strong cross-functional impact. For example, when a manufacturing production specialist partners with an engineer through Heart, they’re able to approach problems from two different perspectives and identify solutions they might not have seen otherwise.”

‘Big motivation’

Heart participant Dzhuliano Georgiev is originally from Bulgaria and started with IDEXX in November 2021 in a manufacturing role. “Although I valued my experience in manufacturing, my long-term interests were in finance and broader business operations,” says Georgiev. “After a year and a half in my role, I learned about the Heart mentorship program and saw it as a unique opportunity to explore that interest more intentionally and gain exposure to the finance function from within the organization.” The program offered the opportunity to learn directly from experienced colleagues, gain insight into day-to-day finance work and better understand the skills and perspectives needed to grow in the field. “Being part of the program was a big motivation for me to pursue my finance degree,” he says. “Needless to say, this experience played a significant role in shaping my professional development and helped me build the confidence and direction to continue growing within the company.”

High potential

Since Camden National Bank’s Horizons 100 started in 2010, followed by Horizons 200 in 2011 and the inaugural 300 level a couple of years ago, the program has enrolled about 150 participants, selected through nomination, executive vetting and interviews.

The 100 level is geared toward early professionals entering their first leadership roles. They are people who exceed expectations, demonstrate high potential and are looking to build networks and develop a personalized advancement plan. Included is a week at New Hampshire’s Northern New England School of Banking, whose curriculum includes personal development such as self-motivation, adapting to change and communication skills, according to its website. Horizons 200 is geared toward the vice president level. Mentorships provide a deeper dive into leadership competencies. A “360 analysis” collects feedback from supervisors and peers and helps build personalized development programs. At both levels, participants work together on a project which is presented to the executive team. The first 300 class was a small group of six, mostly senior vice presidents. “The curriculum is very outward-facing,” says Worster, who was one of the six. “We hired outside consultants on specific topics and we did an Outward Bound experience together for a week. It’s spending time outside the Camden National Bank network and taking a thorough analysis of our professional development.”

‘Think tank’

Leadership development topics might include strategic planning and critical thinking skills so that the organization is prepared to support the continuum of the evolving industry, serving multiple generations, in a competitive environment. “We discuss questions such as, ‘What’s the participants vision for Camden National Bank?’” she says. “’What does the banking center of the future look like? Do we have the right digital platforms to attract and serve the younger generation?’” On artificial intelligence: “How do we redesign banking for an AI-native future? What are some common industry trends that we need to think about, to make sure we’re relevant and current with other industries?” And talent attraction: “Do we have the right mix of rewards that make us a desirable employer?” The program is a mark of excellence and a resume builder. “Horizons graduates are looked upon as being the next mentor for the next class or someone for a special project,” says Worster. “It’s the think tank for the organization.”

‘We see you’

Smevog cites one mission-driven Maine organization that hired an outside coach to help an early-career employee who had come from a teaching background. “She was highly capable but task-oriented and siloed — not thinking about stakeholders or the downstream effects of her work,” Smevog says of the anonymous example. Coaching helped the employee understand the full organization, prepare strategically for meetings and make a shift to broader thinking. “She stepped into a leadership role. The company’s investment in outside coaching did what a manager could not do from inside,” she says. Entry-level development includes skill-building, navigating the workplace, career planning and understanding how roles connect to the broader organization. At the senior level, there’s a shift from functional to strategic thinking. “Senior employees know their business,” says Smevog. “What they often lack is the ability to think across the organization, build advocacy for their ideas and lead beyond their lane.” Sometimes the gap is a specific blind spot the organization already knows about but needs an outside voice to deliver. “I have done this work with high-potential financial advisors — using qualitative 360-degree feedback collected through direct conversations rather than surveys — and the results have been significant,” she continues. “The company’s investment also sends a signal: we see you, and we are not ready to lose you.”