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Maine's CHOICES CEO Project
Building Relationships with Business: Trainings Held for Employment Specialists
In November 2009, two trainings for those working in the rehabilitation field were held by Maine's departments of Labor and Health and Human Services in collaboration with the USM Muskie School. One took place in Lewiston and the other in Orono.
The trainings focused on building relationships with businesses in anticipation of a turnaround in the economy. They represented a significant step towards coordinating professional development activities among the staff of a variety of disability programs and state departments.
The keynote speaker and facilitator was David Hoff, MSW, of the UMass Institute for Community Inclusion and the TACE Center. Using Maine labor market data, Hoff led 150 
participants through an examination of businesses and business sectors, informing participants where to look for jobs for the people they serve.
Participants were able to hear directly from both small and large employers on a panel about what employers wanted from employment specialists across Maine. Businesses that participated included the Access Auto (Lincoln), Casco Bay YMCA (Freeport), Hollywood Slots (Bangor), Mardens (Houlton), Rumford Parks Department, and Wal-Mart (Auburn).
Attendees also heard from colleagues on a second panel who described successful strategies they’ve employed to engage businesses.
Participants who attended one of these trainings were invited to participate in a follow-up webinar that was held December 15. That webinar provided a forum for employment specialists to share observations, successes and challenges in their experiences working with businesses.
Go here for pictures from the Trainings
- Welcoming Video Clip (featuring DHHS Commissioner Berenda Harvey and DOL Commissioner Laura Fortman):
- View Video in Quicktime Media format (captions are NOT available with this format)
- View Video in Windows Media format (captions are available in this format, though to see the subtitles, you may have to turn on captioning on your own computer - under Play (Win) or View (Mac) menus).
- David Hoff's Powerpoint - Building Relationships with Business
- New England TACE Center (Region 1) Fact Sheet (PDF File)
- Top 50 Employers in Maine by Average Monthly Employment (2009 1st Quarter; Private Ownership) (PDF File)
- Top 50 Employers in Maine by Average Monthly Employment (2009 1st Quarter; All Ownerships) (PDF file)
- Brainstorming Exercise
- Flip Chart Responses from the Lewiston Training
- Flip Chart Responses from the Orono Training
- Recommended Reading: An Annotated List of Books
Sponsors of this training event include Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services (both the Office of Adults with Cognitive and Physical Disabilities and the Office of Adult Mental Health Services); Maine's Department of Labor (Bureau of Rehabilitation Services); the Institute for Community Inclusion/UMass Boston (New England Technical Assistance and Continuing Education- TACE); the CHOICES CEO Project; and the USM Muskie School of Public Service.
Training Planning Committee:
Nadine Edris, USM Muskie School of Public Service
Karen Fraser, DOL Bureau of Rehabilitation Services
Cee Gandolfo, Institute for Community Inclusion/U Mass Boston
Larry Glantz,USM Muskie School of Public Service
David Hoff, Institute for Community Inclusion/U Mass Boston
Valerie Oswald, DOL Bureau of Rehabilitation Services
Christine Robinson, DHHS Office of Adult Mental Health Services
Lisa Sturtevant, DHHS Office of Adults with Cognitive and Physical Disabilities
Allie Vercoe, USM Muskie School of Public Service
Photo Gallery
Click on thumbnails for a description and larger view.
