WATERVILLE — Earlier today, the Waterville Trades for ME conference welcomed 8th and 9th grade girls from Lawrence Junior High School, Lawrence High School, and Messalonskee Middle School to learn about careers in the trades.
The morning conference featured sessions ranging from heavy equipment operation and welding/machining to robotics and IT, and criminal justice, providing an opportunity for girls and gender-expansive youth to experience trade professions through hands-on activities, presentations, and demonstrations.
The conference was hosted by New Ventures Maine (NVME), Mid-Maine Technical Center, and Kennebec Valley Community College (KVCC) and was held at KVCC.
Riley, a student from Lawrence Middle School, is thinking about becoming a welder and was able to try out vertical welding. “It was calm–not aggressive. And it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be,” she said.
Trades for ME conferences are designed to showcase careers in which women are traditionally underrepresented. “We want students to consider potential careers they may not have thought about, and to give them the opportunity to learn from women who are working in those careers,” said Kelley Glidden, NVME Workforce Specialist and Trades for ME conference organizer.
Conference admission is free. Funding for Trades for ME is provided by Maine Career and Technical Education/MaineDOE (utilizing federal Carl D. Perkins funds) and the Maine Department of Transportation. Additional support and in-kind contributions are provided by businesses and community partners, including General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Spectrum, Darling’s, and Consigli Construction.
For more information visit the Trades for ME website at tradesforme.org or contact Kelley Glidden at 207-621-3436 or kelley.glidden@maine.edu.
The Trades for ME website (tradesforme.org) also features on-demand videos that highlight nontraditional careers for students in Grades 8-12. The 15-minute virtual sessions focus on high-wage, in-demand careers in trade and technical fields. Automotive, Criminal Justice, Carpentry, Solar Installation, Firefighting, Software Engineering, and other trade careers are featured in the series as well as an ‘Earn While You Learn’ session on internships, apprenticeships and on-the-job training.
About New Ventures Maine: New Ventures Maine (NVME) is a statewide program of the University of Maine at Augusta, University of Maine System, an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. The NVME mission is to help Maine people succeed in the changing economy and achieve economic security for themselves and their families. New Ventures Maine creates an empowering environment for Maine people to define and achieve their career, financial, and small business goals. For more information, visit newventuresmaine.org.
