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| Gorham
benefits from a wide range of educational
and training resources available within the
Town and the surrounding region. An outstanding
public school system, combined with unique
adult education and technical research programs,
contributes to Gorham's strength as a business
location. |
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Local
Public Schools
The
Gorham School Department , consisting
of approximately 2,305 students, 166 professional
teaching faculty and 42 teacher aids, has
received national recognition for its excellence
in educational standards. The school system
continues to act as a full partner in the
Authentic Teaching, Learning and Assessment
for All Students (ATLAS) Communities Project,
a school reform effort initiated by the New
American Schools Development Corporation.
Gorham's ATLAS affiliation entails a partnership
with universities such as Yale and Harvard
and has led to funding for staff development,
teacher leadership training, as well as a
summer institute. In addition, both the Gorham
High School and the Narragansett School received
the Redbook award as one of the most
innovative schools in the United States. |
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| Adult
Education
Gorham has
an active Adult Education program located
at Gorham
Center for Volunteers and Community Education
(GCVCE) at the Gorham High School.
It offers a wide variety of professional
development opportunities at very affordable
prices. These include basic and advanced
courses in Microsoft Office programs, office
skills training leading to certification,
reauthorization courses for educational
technicians and State-mandated training
for personal care assistants. Gorham
adult education will work with local businesses
to design and deliver training tailored
to the business' specific needs.
Gorham Adult
education also offers course work and testing
leading to a high school diploma or G.E.D.
for adults who have not completed high school.
Twice each year, a catalog is distributed
throughout the community which outlines
the above opportunities, as well as extensive
personal enrichment classes, parenting classes,
special learning activities for parents
and children, and trips to explore Maine
and New England.
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USM
Gorham
The University of Southern Maine is a comprehensive,
regional university offering a full range
of high quality educational programs. The
University enrolls approximately 10,000 students
on three campuses (Gorham, Portland, Lewiston/
Auburn) and has approximately 50 graduate
and undergraduate programs. At the 125 acre
Gorham campus, 1,000 residential students
and 4,000 total students attend regular classes.
One of the strongest and most unique educational
resources in Gorham is found within USM's
School of Applied Science. The Department
of External Programs (EP) (formerly the Production
Technology Center) is specifically designed
to create and maintain linkages between industry
and university-based education. In this respect,
the program provides a wide range of conferences,
specialized courses and in-house workshops
that focus on improving the efficiency of
private and public organizations. Examples
of topics include: |
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Conferences
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"
Ergonomics
" Geographic Information Systems
" Advanced Materials |
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| Courses
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"
Engineer-In-Training
" Professional Engineer Review
" Computer-Aided Design |
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| Workshops |
"
Ergonomics
" Project Management
" Electronic Data Interchange
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Continuing
education programs often take the form of
professional certificate courses that are
conducted either at the University, on-site
or through local schools.
Aside from EP's educational endeavors, the
department also offers an excellent applied
research component. The school faculty and
EP staff work with businesses and government
to develop a more productive and safe workplace.
For example, students and faculty have been
involved in an ongoing ergonomics project
with the Gorham-based Irwin Company (now American
Tool Cos.) dealing with the stress of repetitive
motion. Other research topics include:
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- The Effect
of Workplace Design on Work Productivity
- The Use
of Computer-Aided Design in Public Awareness
- Design
of an Effective Productivity Assessment
Process
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Product
testing and evaluation is another activity
in which EP is able to assist local and regional
business operations.
External Programs is an innovative and flexible
resource that could greatly benefit any potential
business or industry. The department offers
a diversity of educational and technical training
services that cater to business needs. In
addition, the School of Applied Science provides
a sturdy employment base from its active and
highly qualified graduates in computer science,
engineering, technology, and immunology.
USM also offers a number of undergraduate
and graduate degree programs relating to industrial
science and technology. Bachelor of Science
degrees are available in Electrical Engineering,
Computer Science, and technology programs
in Technology Education, Applied Technical
Education, Industrial Technology, and Applied
Technical Leadership. Master's degrees are
offered in Computer Science, Manufacturing
Management and Immunology. An MBA is also
available through the School of Business.
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Regional
Resources
There are a number of regional educational
and training resources from which businesses
in Gorham can benefit.
The USM Continuing Education for Business
(CEB) offers a wide variety of noncredit
courses and seminars that support regional
companies in training and retraining their
staff. Six certificate programs: |
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General
Management
" Human Resource Management
" Supervision
" Total Quality Management
" Marketing Management
" Office Management |
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extensive courses for individuals and companies.
In addition, CEB provides on-site seminars
in business management, workers' compensation,
health care management and other training
programs that are highly tailored to suit
a specific organization's needs. |
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Cumberland County Training Resource Center
(TRC) is a nonprofit organization that
provides job training and employment placement
programs. TRC offers its clients computer
literacy, occupational training and motivational
workshops that build the skills necessary
to succeed in the workplace. These qualified
candidates are then placed into positions
that fill a specific company's needs. The
Training Resource Center will also design
on-the-job training programs with reimbursement
of up to half of the new employee's salary. |
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| The
Southern Maine Technical College (SMTC)
serves companies throughout the region by
upgrading and enhancing the technical skills
of their employees and a trained work force
for the area. Its location in Portland provides
technical, vocational and managerial training
to help ensure that individuals have the skills
to succeed in a competitive marketplace. The
technical college offers a range of seminars,
workshops, and customized training programs.
SMTC has recently joined in partnership with
Zenger-Miller Achieve Inc., an international
training and consulting firm, to bring additional
expertise to companies throughout Maine. Courses
can be taken for college credit or on a non
credit basis.. |
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| SMTC
also houses The Margaret Chase Smith Quality
Association that focuses on providing
incentives for businesses to create new jobs
by offering customized education and training,
as well as recruitment and screening of trainees.
In this regard, the program furnishes potential
businesses seeking to locate in Maine with
training that meets their specifications.
Educational and training programs, recruitment
and screening are offered free of charge to
participating companies. |
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| The
Workforce Development Center is operated
by the Department of Labor out of Saco, Maine.
This organization conducts an on-the-job training
program where 50% of an employee's compensation
is paid for up to six months. The average
training period is 3-4 months, which is equal
to approximately $1,500 of wages. Another
program pays 100% of the wages for a youth
in his/her first job for as long as two months. |
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