CMCC Staffers Speak at National Workforce Education Conference

November 17, 2016

Staff members from Central Maine Community College presented at the National Council for Workforce Education (NCWE) Annual Conference held last month in Atlanta, Georgia. The NCWE is an affiliate council of the American Association of Community Colleges that provides a national forum for administrators and faculty in workforce education.

One of the conference strands was focused on how best to sustain initiatives begun under TAACCCT, the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant Program.  CMCC was the lead institution for the $13 million TAACCCT grant that was awarded to the Maine Community College System in 2013 to address the growing need in Maine for skilled information technology workers across many industries. Known as Maine is IT!, this initiative has created new pathways for students to access courses and programs needed to acquire the information technology skills most in demand by Maine employers. The colleges have also expanded degree programs, one-year certificates, and short-term training in high demand areas.

Anne St. Pierre, associate dean of academic affairs; Emily Butterfield, TAACCCT student navigator; and Jennifer Gamez, TAACCCT Program coordinator, presented a session titled “Let Your Past Meet Your Future.” This session centered on prior learning assessment practices and strategies adopted during CMCC’s project effort.

A second presentation, “Data Collection without Reinventing the Wheel,” was led by Ronald Bolstridge, director of institutional research and Michelle Hawley, Maine is IT! Consortium grant project manager.  The implementation of a data collection process for the consortium and the deployment of new data fields was explained.

The third presentation “TAACCCT: More Lessons Learned, and What Happens after TAACCCT?” was led by Monett Wilson, formerly the TAACCCT 3 fiscal and administrative officer who is now the dean of finance and administration at Kennebec Valley Community College.

Maine is IT! is funded by a $13 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.  The program is projected to serve nearly 2,100 Maine participants over a three-year period. This program is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action program. Adaptive equipment will be provided upon request to individuals with disabilities.

Photo: Left to right are CMCC staff members Anne St. Pierre, Jennifer Gamez, and Emily Butterfield who presented a session titled “Let Your Past Meet Your Future” at the National Council for Workforce Education Annual Conference held last month in Atlanta. Other presenters from CMCC were Ron Bolstridge, Michelle Hawley, and Monett Wilson.