MaineSpark adult education effort gains traction
Courtesy / Maine Workforce & Education Coalition
MaineSpark particpants in 2017 included, from left, Nate Wildes of Live and Work in Maine, Ed Cervone of Educate Maine, Kate Leveille of the Maine College Access Network, and Dana Connors of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce.
The second annual networking event for mentors in a program that helps Maine adults get a degree or certification drew more than 90 professional support providers from 45 organizations, MaineSpark said in a news release.
The MaineSpark Navigator Network Convening event was held to share resources and information for those who participate as navigators in the Adult Promise Program, which mentors individuals 25 and older looking to start or finish a credential or degree. The program has 363 navigators, but MaineSpark hopes to increase the number to 500, according to its website.
MaineSpark, a coalition of education and business organizations, is working toward a goal of 60% of Maine's adults being certified for the workforce by 2025. Currently, 46% of Mainers have a post-secondary education, the organization said. When the effort began in 2015, the number was 40%.
The June 25 event, in Lewiston, drew representatives from organizations that included colleges and universities, state agencies, nonprofits, industry associations, adult education and career centers.
"Navigators understand financial, logistic and other challenges, and are able to point Mainers to the right resources for their individual situations," the release said. The purpose of the event was to "learn, discuss, and connect about ways to support adults in Maine looking to advance their education and careers."
Adult Promise is one of four MaineSpark tracks. The others are Strong Opportunities, aimed at schoolchildren from kindergarten through sixth grade; Future Success, aimed at those in sixth grade through post-secondary education; and New Opportunities, for professionals looking to begin new careers.
Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation, the nation’s largest private foundation with a focus on increasing Americans’ success in higher education, helped get the Adult Promise Program off the ground with a $750,000 grant in 2017. Other funding comes from the Fisher Charitable Foundation, the Maine Community Foundation, the John T. Gorman Foundation and the Lerner Foundation.
The Adult Promise Steering Committee includes the Maine Community Foundation, the state Department of Education, Educate Maine, New Ventures Maine, Goodwill, Maine Department of Labor, TRIO Educational Opportunity Center, the Maine Development Foundation, Maine State Chamber of Commerce, John T. Gorman Foundation, Maine Adult Education, Finance Authority of Maine, the Maine Community College System and Husson University.
MaineSpark says it goals are to shed light on the current employee/employer mismatch; to close the gap between worker skills and industry needs by connecting people with programs that provide training and education resources and services; to increase the overall educational attainment of residents; and to broaden the understanding of opportunities in Maine.
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