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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 16 WO R K F O R C E D E V E L O P M E N T A s the Roux Institute was prepar- ing for its 2020 launch as a tech- nology talent and innovation site in Portland, its chief administrator, Chris Mallett, found himself working the phones. "We were reaching out to com- panies and saying, 'We're working on something pretty special for Maine and we think you'd like to be part of it,'" he recalls. ose opening phone calls were made to major companies in Maine considered to be prospects as founding corporate partners with the institute. But Mallett and his colleagues weren't just pitching. "We listened and identified what it is they're trying to do," he says. "We worked with their leadership to under- stand the opportunities that made sense for their organizations. We put our teams into brainstorming mode to identify what an appropriate program or solution might be. en we imple- mented that." ose ideas have attracted increasing numbers of corporate partners, from 10 a year ago to 54 today. e institute also has a growing number of partnerships with academia and community groups. "We want to work with industry, with academic partners, with commu- nity partners to tackle problems and pursue opportunities," says Mallett. "e idea is help Maine businesses invest in the development of their own workforce." Build talent, drive the economy In 2020, Northeastern University in Boston launched the Roux Institute with a donation of $100 million from the Roux Family Foundation, which was established by tech entrepreneur and Lewiston native David Roux and his wife, Barbara. e institute aims to spur innovation, build talent and drive economic growth in Portland, the state of Maine and the Northeast. Partnerships with industry, academia and government are integral to the education and research model, which covers STEM (science, technol- ogy, engineering and mathematics) areas that include artificial intelligence, com- puter and data sciences, digital engineer- ing, and the advanced life sciences and medicine. e goal? Align student learning with employer needs. In November 2020, the institute opened its Portland campus, featuring 25,000 square feet of space for class- rooms, study and meetings. Plans call for a permanent campus by 2024, with space for research laboratories as well as teaching. Employer partnerships e institute now partners with Maine companies to equip the workforce with essential technology skills and advance research and development, bringing the broader resources of Northeastern University to the table. Bangor Savings Bank was one of the first companies to sign on. "We think it's great for the state of Maine and it's great for our company," says the bank's president and CEO, Bob Montgomery-Rice. In the past, the company relied on ready-made training programs. By con- trast, Roux brings a full range of training tailored to the company's needs. For example, nearly 100 employees are tak- ing part in courses that aim to improve processes in order to meet customer needs more quickly. "Just the day-to-day application teaches people how to think, how to be organized, how to get to what they're doing in a more efficient way," says Montgomery-Rice. Pivotal point e institute was launched at a pivotal time for Maine. Recent advances in STEM entre- preneurship and training are bringing new career opportunities to the state. A recent report by the nonprofit Science is US found that over half of Maine's employment and gross domestic product are supported by STEM. But some worry a workforce gap prevents burgeoning STEM industries from finding the talent they need. Data show Maine lags the nation in develop- ing a workforce for science-based and engineering jobs. e Roux Institute sees potential for growth. 'Future focused' "e first thing to note about the Roux Institute is that we're about economic development," says Mallett. e institute aims to drive develop- ment in "future-focused fields," he says. "Future-focused" is "kind of a squishy term," he says. "What we mean is lever- aging and unlocking the power of tech- nology" through research, innovation, business development and employee investment. Mallett says a central question when working with corporate partners large and small is, "What problems are you trying to solve and what opportunities are you pursuing to unlock your future?" Data overload For example, one of the institute's learn- ing initiatives tackles a common STEM problem: how to deal with and interpret the mass of data that inundated many companies. e institute and a corporate partner co-designed a data analytics pro- gram that uses the company's own data sets. Real-world applications, rather than theoretical learning, is considered key to the institute's mission. "We've delivered over 20 instances of this type of custom learning and devel- opment and over 500 employees have already benefited," says Mallett. e programs are funded by the employers, at no cost to employees. "It's a STEM talent retention strat- egy," he says.. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Chris Mallett, center, chief administrative officer of the Roux Institute, with Sophia Cofone, left, an Align MS Data Science student, and Molly Lindberg, a MPS Analytics student. F O C U S The idea is help Maine businesses invest in the development of their own workforce. — Chris Mallett Roux Institute Planting roots Roux Institute shows early impact aligning STEM education with jobs B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r

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