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V O L . X X V I I N O. X X V I I D E C E M B E R 1 3 , 2 0 2 1 18 WO R K F O R C E D E V E L O P M E N T It's important to peel back the veil from a young age, she says. "ere's so much STEM capacity in Maine today — and so much more 10 and 20 years down the road," she says. Kermish-Allen identifies equitable access as a significant barrier to advanc- ing STEM education. "If you're growing up in a district where they can put in a maker lab or have a STEM coordinator, you'll have a much higher likelihood of getting access to an engaging STEM experience," she says. "If you're not, you'll have a much more difficult time accessing those learning experiences both in the classroom and outside of the classroom." e alliance's professional learning opportunities for educators are designed to help address the problem. "We train educators, and they work with from 10 to 100 kids per year," Kermish-Allen says. "So we're able to create long-lasting change at scale, across educator and district networks." Like the Roux Institute, the alliance connects with employers to develop programs that align STEM skills with real-world applications. For example, one educator partnered with a computer scientist at Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor. Together, they developed a program around data literacy, a basic concept that could be used within a number of professions. In its 29 years, the alliance has devel- oped many programs and has reached over 1,000 educators each year; the annual number is trending upward. "ere's definitely a desire and a need for the professional learning experiences and networks we design," she says. Collaborative process At Bangor Savings, Roux also connects employees with advanced-degree and certificate programs in data science. And the institute has placed with the bank interns who have a certain level of STEM expertise. "at's a huge benefit," says Montgomery-Rice. So far, Roux has 500 "corporate learn- ers" and 320 enrolled learners in its degree and certificate programs. e numbers across both categories are expected to increase to several thousand in the next few years. e institute also works with industry partners to create co-op pro- grams for Maine-based undergraduate and graduate students. It's working with 20 startup companies. Successful companies know they must invest in education to drive growth, says Mallett. "All of our partners are successful and have made investments in their own way before Roux existed," he says." What's spe- cial about what we do is that we're willing to put our resources at their service." Laurie Schreiber, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at lschreiber @ mainebiz.biz Are you ready for a local bank partner who works as hard as you do? We live and work here, too. So we understand the unique needs of your business. At Maine Community Bank, we take your business personally. Our local fi nancial expertise can help you solve problems and capitalize on every opportunity. Plus, we have products and technology that can keep up with the pace of your growing business. We're in your corner of the world, making local decisions. We know how hard you work, let us work hard for you. Let's get together. 1-833-762-0313 mainecb.com » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY F O C U S Chris Mallett, center, talks with Leslie Hyman, CEO of Circa, left, Ngoc Le, CEO of Phase Zero, middle, and Jessica Lynch, CEO of Wishroute, at the Roux Institute Techstars Accelerator space in Portland. There's definitely a desire and a need for the professional learning experiences and networks we design. — Ruth Kermish-Allen ME Math and Science Alliance

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