Work force needs focus of UMaine summit
A theme emerged yesterday at a University of Maine System summit designed to address the state's future work force needs: break down the silos.
Following a slate of morning speakers, the more than 200 attendees at the daylong Orono summit broke into groups to discuss how the system can better prepare its students to work in Maine's evolving economy. Better collaboration -- between the system and the community colleges, among professors at the seven campuses and even among academic departments on the same campuses -- was raised again and again. More specific suggestions included developing interdisciplinary majors, beefing up international language and culture programs and creating a focus on gerontology.
The summit, called "Advancing Maine: Aligning Academic Programs to Meet Future Work Force Needs," attracted a sizeable crowd of academics, but representatives from private business were in the minority.
The morning session, after introductions by UMS Chancellor Richard Pattenaude and Gov. John Baldacci, kicked off with a spirited lecture from a barefoot Doug Hall, founder of Eureka! Ranch and the architect of UMaine's new innovation engineering minor. Laurie Lachance of the Maine Development Foundation provided an overview of the Maine economy, and John Dorrer, director of the state labor department's Center for Workforce Research and Information, updated the audience on sought-after skills in the labor market the department's new work force data sets.
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