Mainebiz

V O L . X X I N O. X V I I A U G U S T 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 34 I n May, Amber Allen graduated from the Husson University College of Business, having earned her Bachelor of Science degree in management, in conjunction with an MBA, during a special ve- year program. A month later, the -year-old was enrolled in Bangor Savings Bank's Commercial Credit Development Program, an accelerated leadership program designed to compress ve to seven years of advancement into two years. e program takes participants through internal rotations in areas such as business banking, commercial lending and credit and underwriting; mentor relationships with senior management; hands-on job performance and job shadowing; community service projects; management, leadership, communication, sales and business development education; and special projects and assignments. Recently, Allen and three other newly minted college graduates were taking part in leadership and teamwork training exercises at Castine-based Maine Maritime Academy's bridge simulator, the rst time the facility has been used both for a busi- ness application and by an entity outside of MMA. Facilitated by Blue Hill-based SeaChange Resources founder Kim Parrott, who is providing individual and group coaching to the team through the two years, the two-day workshop rotated team members through mate, navigator, helmsperson, and observer roles, requir- ing them to practice various team and leadership com- munication dynamics for the sake of virtually navigating a large vessel through a constantly changing environ- ment of tra c, buoys, visibility, current and sea state. Allen was thrilled by the experience. "It was a fun and challenging experience. It was a good way for us to nd out how to work as a team, and who we were on our team," Allen says. e Commercial Credit Development Program was founded with the idea of accelerating the devel- opment of "well-rounded bankers with leadership, management, and business and commercial banking skills who possess a comprehensive understanding of Bangor Savings Bank's culture and commitment to customers," says the bank's vice president and organizational development o cer, Isla Dickerson. e graduates were selected through interviews and hired to start June . As an internal train- ing program, costs and investment for set-up and operation are con dential. Keeping young people in Maine e program is driven by a scenario seen across the state. According to a report called "Making Maine Work: Critical Investments for the Maine Economy," commissioned primarily by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and the Maine Development Foundation and written by former University of Southern Maine economist Charles Colgan, the state lost more than of its population of to -year-olds from to , resulting in serious problems for many business sectors looking for employees. If nothing is done, wrote Colgan, the state's workforce will continue to shrink. " ere are not enough workforce development and professional opportunities for young, high- achieving graduates in Maine, and a lot of our tal- ented, young folks leave the state to nd their rst jobs," says Dickerson. Dickerson's personal story is similar. "I grew up in Maine," Dickerson says. "But I had to leave the state to nd my professional feet. I came back to Maine wanting to contribute to the community and the economy and the workforce." Bangor Savings seeks to reverse youth ight for its own workforce, and also create a model that can be used across Maine's business community for attracting and retaining talent. e idea is to fast-track professional and manage- ment competencies among young college graduates who are equipped with technical skills but possess lim- ited or zero experience in a professional workplace. "We are committed to the community," says Dickerson. "Part of that is trying to increase the number of professional opportunities and jobs in Maine. at's the genesis of this program." With four participants starting in year one and an additional four to be added in , all eight will graduate by the end of year three. e rst four participants are recent college graduates — from University of Maine campuses in Orono and Farmington, as well as at Husson — in a range of disciplines, from nance and business administra- tion to political science and English literature. All have a bachelor's degree, one has a master's and another is working on his master's degree. As it turns out, all are Maine natives, although the pro- gram is open to graduates from elsewhere. Allen embraced the opportunity, which she learned about through Husson. "I was pretty open-minded coming out of college, but I knew I wanted to stay in the state," she says. "I had a lot of di erent interests, but when I saw this opportunity, I thought I should apply because it had so much to o er. I had heard great things about Bangor Savings, especially their culture and everything they do for their community. It's all turned out to be true." e rst year o ers well-rounded, hands-on experiences throughout banking operations. Early on, the new hires are spending time on the teller line, learning the ins and outs of the operation from the ground up. ey're doing service work with a Bangor homeless shelter, in keeping with Bangor P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F M A I N E M A R I T I M E A C A D E M Y F O C U S P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F M A I N E M A R I T I M E A C A D E M Y Maine Maritime Academy students, including Dale Winchenbach, center, take part in leadership training. Banking talent At Bangor Savings Bank, accelerated leadership program attracts talent

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