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On Wednesday, teachers at the Madison school were paired up with presenters from the community who work in a field related to what they teach. “Every student coming out of our high schools needs to have those soft skills that are so valuable to Maine employers - communication and team-building skills, time management, financial literacy.
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“If Maine wants to be competitive, if we want a strong economy, we need to close the skills gap,” Travers said. Tracie Travers, the new Jobs for Maine’s Graduates career preparation and financial literacy coordinator in Somerset County, also said she plans to organize similar events, internship programs and job shadow opportunities for students in Somerset County. It was great to be in a classroom where someone was relating directly to what they’re learning.” “So many times we hear students walk out of class and say, ‘When am I ever going to use this?'” said Stephany Perkins, a Jobs for Maine’s Graduates specialist at Madison Area Memorial High School. It was funded by a $120,000 grant from Skowhegan Savings Bank that was used to recently hire a new career preparation and financial literacy coordinator to work in Somerset County. The event was part of a new initiative organized by Jobs for Maine’s Graduates, a statewide nonprofit that works to help students overcome barriers to education and achieve their goals in higher education and the workforce. Staff photo by David Leamingįoss, who is a 1954 graduate of Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield and a former music teacher at Erskine Academy in South China, delivered that advice as part of a Careers in the Classroom day at the school.
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Speaking between images of the Blue Men musicians, John Foss of Palermo speaks to Madison Area Memorial High School students about his career playing trumpet during Career Day on Wednesday.