Important Notes About Career and Technical Education

Did know that ...

• Educate Maine has identified Computer Analysis and Support (Information Technology), Construction, Engineering, Healthcare, Hospitality, and Manufacturing as employment sectors that are in demand now and will be for the next 10 years in our state.

• Valley Unified's St. John Valley Technology Center (SJVTC) currently provides programs in Advanced Technologies (Information Technology), Construction Trades, Health Occupations, and a program in Welding and Fabrication that addresses important Manufacturing sector workforce needs.

• Priority #5 of the Valley Unified strategic plan, Rightsizing Education in the Upper St. John Valley, 2017-2027, is to review, align, and change SJVTC programs based on emerging workforce needs and demands.

• The SJVTC added a Forest Resource Management program this year to address the workforce development needs of our critically important local forest industry.

• The SJVTC has received approval from the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) to provide an Electrical Construction program and an Industrial Electrical Instrumentation program to help address the construction and manufacturing sector workforce demands in our region.

• The SJVTC also has received approval from MDOE to offer a program in Heavy Equipment Operation to help address local workforce development needs in the construction and forest industries.

• The SJVTC has partnered with Washington County Community College and local interested party, Twin Rivers Paper Company, to develop a Manufacturing Career Preparation training component to align with its existing programs in Welding and Fabrication, Advanced Technologies, and Forest Resource Management (lumber manufacturing) and its future Electrical Construction and Industrial Electrical Instrumentation programs.

• Another goal of the Manufacturing Career Preparation training component at the SJVTC is to prepare interested participants, beginning in 10th grade, to earn a nationally recognized Manufacturing Skills Standards Council (MSSC) Certified Production Technician credential which will help address local needs for a qualified manufacturing production workforce.

While we are excited about these developments, we believe we could more effectively align core academic expectations with the applied technical learning in current and future programs at the SJVTC and more effectively address the workforce development needs of local employers, if all Upper St. John Valley middle and high school students were together under one roof on one comprehensive, integrated school campus where we could expose more students to these and other potential Career and Technical Education learning opportunities.

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