What an exciting year for Destination Occupation! Throughout 2019 the DO team has traveled all over the state getting to know students, job seekers and employers! In case you missed it, here’s a quick recap!
WINTER & SPRING
At the beginning of 2019, the DO team worked with and featured Paradigm Windows, the Portland-based window and sliding glass door manufacturer. Check out their DO page to hear about the company from Amanda, Warren, or Bezhad, all Paradigm employees! Also, this Mainebiz article from later in the year helps to explain their hiring efforts.
This past winter we helped Bath Iron Works (BIW) with a one-month recruitment campaign and helped them celebrate International Women’s Day in March. They published this “We Are BIW” video which highlights female employees at Bath Iron Works (including ship builders finance specialists, environmental laboratory managers, engineering and design managers, structural engineers). Looking for a career with BIW? Check out their career page on Destination Occupation!
In addition to working with local businesses, the DO team presented at career fairs spanning the state: South Portland, Portland, Bath, and Windham. We explained to hundreds of Maine students how they could explore potential careers with DO!
This spring our DO blog featured resources for employers that were looking to hire immigrants or veterans. Check out this post which highlighted IntWork and Maine Intercultural Communication Consultants. We also celebrated Pine Tree Food Equipment’s 30 year anniversary! The company has three locations in Maine and more information about them can be found on their DO career exploration page.
SUMMER & FALL
This past summer we featured many Maine employers including: Maine Health, Immucell, and Systems Engineering. If you didn’t hear about MaineHealth’s job shadowing and internship opportunities, or want more information about nursing roles and responsibilities, follow this link! Later in the summer we also shared SMCC’s Manufacturing Technician Training Course. This website has more information about those courses, some of which are starting again in January 2020!
In August, the DO team supported the Maine Hire-a-Vet kickoff event at the Augusta Civic Center. Maine Hire-a-Vet aims to employ job-seeking veterans throughout the state. Check out FAQs about the event! The campaign began on August 29th, but you can learn more about its impact by reading this Mainebiz article.
September was National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which our DO blog featured, describing the work of the Maine AgrAbility Project. They work with disabled Mainers to support their employment and general independence. What an interesting project! Testimonials and videos about the project can be found on the DO website.
Later in the fall, DO CEO Rachel Knight visited Lewiston High School to visit Jobs for Maine Graduates classes to discuss career opportunities in Maine. Rachel also visited Brunswick Junior High and spoke with 8 different classes of eighth graders about the importance of career exploration and used Enercon Technologies as the “featured” employer.
Rachel with one of the JMG classes in Lewiston
To finish the year, we were recently featured on News Center Maine for our new training partnership. The story described DO’s partnership with companies including: Jotul North America, SIGCO, Messer Truck Equipment, Paradigm Windows, and organizations including Portland Career Center and Northeast Technical Institute. Finally, if you’re curious about how Destination Occupation came to be, read more on our About Us page.
LOOKING TO 2020
There are so many things we are looking forward to in 2020! We will continue to grow our career exploration network and educate Maine people about good Maine jobs! Our Right THeRe program designed to Recruit, Train, Hire, Repeat is going to help underemployed and unemployed people find the right training to get them into careers with a future!
Let the roaring ‘20s begin!