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Girls Explore Careers in Trades & Technology

WWC organized three successful Totally Trades Conferences this spring. Over 200 female students in grades 8 through 11 participated in the one-day conferences which include hands-on workshops and large group activities.

Bangor Totally Trades celebrated its tenth anniversary on April 6th at United Technologies Center. Long-time partners and presenters were honored with certificates of appreciation. Check out  Bangor Daily News and WABI TV5 videos from Totally Trades 10.

Presque Isle Totally Trades was held on April 25 at Northern Maine Community College. Girls attended three hands-on workshops and heard from a panel of Caribou Technology Center students currently enrolled in non-traditional programs.

Rockland Totally Trades, hosted by Mid-Coast School of Technology, was held on April 27.  A popular addition this year was an afternoon session for all students featuring Public Safety professionals, their gear, and vehicles.  Plans are underway for fall 2012 Totally Trades Conferences to be held in Calais and Westbrook.

These fun-filled conferences give high school girls an opportunity to learn about trade and technical careers such as welding, automotive repair, firefighting, heavy equipment operation, bridge construction, engineering, and more. Women in these professions are happy to share their knowledge and experience with the students.

For more information about Totally Trades, visit www.totallytradesmaine.org.

Financial support for Totally Trades is provided by the Maine Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration and the Maine Department of Education/Career and Technical Education, as well as other statewide and local community sponsors.

WWC also helped coordinate the Future Pathways day with Somerset Career& Technical Center in Skowhegan on April 12. All ninth grade girls from surrounding schools spent the day exploring a variety of careers in the trades and in Science, Techonology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

There are Career and Technical Education (CTE) Centers and Regions throughout Maine that provide hands-on training programs for high school students. For more information about a CTE Center close to you, visit www.mainecte.org.