Employer Practices Pilot Project
The Employer Practices Pilot Project supports efforts to improve employment outcomes for recent immigrants and internationally-trained professionals, who frequently, once employed, tend to fill roles that are significantly below their level of training or experience. This is a two-year funded pilot project, made possible by the WES Mariam Assefa Fund.
The core of the initiative is in acting as a conduit between the workforce development agencies of SMWI (on behalf of immigrant job seekers and internationally-trained incumbent workers) and local employers. We take a multi-faceted approach to bridging the gap between immigrant job seekers/employees and employers by identifying and addressing needs through a systemic lens, targeting both root causes and immediate needs for each of these populations.
To support our Maine community, SMWI has launched three employer toolkits complimented by a forum series built on the toolkits. Through the Engage Maine’s Global Talent strategic initiatives, we will see success with a change in behaviors of employers in the recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and retention of immigrant job seekers, and in acknowledging and addressing brain waste among incumbent workers.
Engage Maine’s Global Talent Toolkits:
SMWI’s toolkits aim to empower employers, instilling confidence in them to actively hire, promote, and retain more immigrants and refugees, with the ultimate objective of mitigating brain waste, and creating more inclusive and welcoming workplaces. Housed on an e-learning platform, these no-cost resources are meant to be practical, resource-driven, and include local best practices and creative implementation ideas. Due to information rapidly changing, the toolkits will be a living, working resource, continually evolving based on new learnings.
If you would like to more about the toolkits, please visit the Employer Resources page.
Engage Maine’s Global Talent Forums:
SMWI’s forum series was designed to support employers by filling critical gaps in our Southern Maine business community. Being intentional and responsive to our community’s accessibility needs, we held the no-cost forums on August 21st, September 18th, and October 16th at Southern Maine Community College’s McKernan Hospitality Center. 33 employers and organizations participated in workshops focused on engaging Maine’s internationally trained talent.
Engage Maine’s Global Talent Forum Series allowed for:
- – Small, collaborative workshops for practical learning with robust and meaningful discussion
- – Opportunities for dynamic knowledge exchange and skill development
- – New community driven resources and assessment tools
