Aroostook jobs projection website goes live

    CARIBOU — Revised figures from the Aroostook Jobs Projection project show more than 1,800 jobs vacancies are expected in the next five years at over 30 of the region’s largest companies and now all that information can be found on a new website, which went live this week at www.appme.org/ jobs/main.html.
    This job projection website initiative by the Aroostook Partnership for Progress (APP) was created to help stem student outmigration, to inform junior high and high school students of upcoming job opportunities in Aroostook County and to aid Aroostook businesses with aging workforces by providing them with potential prospects to help them maintain or grow their businesses.
    “I think as an initial step the website is concise and clearly depicts the categories on the left and with one click you can see the companies and their projected needs,” said Bob Dorsey, president of APP.
    Dorsey also said that additional content will be added to the Web presence, with more company information, cost of living comparisons and, in time, information to help former residents return to Aroostook County.
    “I see it as a growing tool which we will be using for quite some time,” he said. “We’ve already discovered we would like to add a civil service category and expand out beyond the 50 largest employers.”
    Also as part of the project, APP officials have been engaging educators.
    Dorsey recently spoke to the Aroostook County superintendents about how to disseminate this newly collected information to principals, teachers, guidance counselors and especially students.
    “What we have found is skills like communication and math are extremely important, but employers also want more advanced skills which require training and further education after high school,” said Dorsey.
    “Part of the information that we are gathering as part of this project is giving us a better sense of the necessary skills and education that our future workforce will need to fill these openings,” said Ryan Pelletier, Northern Maine Development Commission director of economic and workforce development.
    The initial findings show a large need for health care workers over the next five years. Dorsey said he was also pleasantly surprised to see more than 350 anticipated positions will be opening up in manufacturing, but it is important to remember that the business survey does not indicate whether these future jobs are newly created jobs or vacancies created by retirement or personnel shifts.
    If a business would like to share their projected staffing needs for the jobs projection website, they can contact Dorsey at rdorsey@nmdc.org or Pelletier at rpelletier@ nmdc.org.