A recurring theme in conversations with businesspeople around the state is workforce training. There are people in Maine who need jobs. Companies need employees. But frequently companies cannot find the right workers with sufficient skills or training to do the jobs required. The “skills gap” is something you hear about time and again in Maine […]
A recurring theme in conversations with businesspeople around the state is workforce training. There are people in Maine who need jobs. Companies need employees. But frequently companies cannot find the right workers with sufficient skills or training to do the jobs required. The “skills gap” is something you hear about time and again in Maine — and elsewhere, for that matter. Maine's business leaders and educational institutions are working to change this.
At Mainebiz, we are used to talking to businesspeople who have been at their profession or craft for years, sometimes decades. This issue, in which we focus on professional development and workforce training, is dominated by college students. At colleges and universities around the state, the staff talked to students or recent graduates who plan to devote their lives to a range of fields, from science to hospitality.
While the skills gap continues to be a challenge, we are heartened by the enthusiasm of leaders like Voot Yin of MDI Biological Laboratory. In Senior Writer Lori Valigra's story on Page 24, “Training budding scientists,” Yin talks about the Eureka! moment when a young scientist makes a breakthrough.
I think you'll agree, it's those breakthrough moments that make any job rewarding.