JA Titan Experience Key in Maine’s Workforce Development

Author: Jaimie Crawford
Corporate Responsibility
Published: Sunday, 12 Jan 2025

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Image caption: The JA Titan Experience is a key touchpoint for students, helping them bridge the gap between in-class learning and real-world experience.

Workforce development is the focus of many initiatives within Maine’s organizations. The initiative outlined in Maine’s Ten Year Economic Plan to introduce 75,000 new workers to the state, this illustrates the need for a vital and robust talent pipeline.

Maine’s workforce of tomorrow is sitting in classrooms throughout the state, today. Preparing them for the career opportunities that wait for them upon graduation requires a multi-level approach that brings together Maine’s business and education communities.

JA Maine works to be a key link in this collaboration. As an organization it endeavors to bring students in-classroom learning and experiential opportunities focused on financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship. These experiences include job shadows at companies throughout the state, career speaker panels, traditional classroom learning, mentorship, and JA’s most immersive program, the JA Titan Experience.

The JA Titan Experience is a five-lesson learning experience taught in classrooms over the course of a semester. It culminates in a single day challenge held at companies and universities throughout Maine. The experience puts high school students in the business seat as a leader of a cell phone company, where they’re faced with navigating the intricacies of working as a team, decision-making, financial analysis, and corporate responsibility. Local mentors work with teams, guiding students in their role as team leaders.

The JA Titan Challenge reflects impressive statistics where participant responses strongly agree with the following:

93% “The JA Titan Experience helps me envision my future career.”
91% “The JA Titan Experience helps me feel empowered to make my own career choices.”
83% “The JA Titan Experience is valuable, and I would like to participate again.”

As a tool to develop Maine’s workforce the JA Titan Experience introduces students to career pathways and career clusters within specific industries within Maine. Many students have a preconceived notion of what it means to work at a bank, or a manufacturing company, or insurance company, not realizing the many different skill sets needed and jobs available within an industry. The JA Titan Experience also pairs students with mentors from around the community, helping them to build their network as early as possible.

Alli Treat is one success story of the Titan Experience. As a 2018 participant, Alli met key mentors at Bangor Savings Bank, exposing her to opportunities within the banking industry. Sparking a career path, Alli is now an employee at Bangor Savings Bank, working her way through rapid promotion to a branch Consumer Relationship Manager.

As David Pease, Senior Vice President at Bangor Savings, noted, “I was happy that the Titan Challenge opened her eyes to an industry and company she hadn’t previously considered.”

Reflections from other participants validate the Titan Experience. “I learned that there was a lot more than meets the eye to running your own business. It also helped teach people how to be responsible and manage your money well while also making important decisions and the consequences of those decisions.” -JA Titan Participant, Grade 12.

“Before the JA Titan I did not have any idea what went into business, and now I have a greater understanding of the various roles and careers within the business field.” – JA Titan Participant, Grade 11.

Maine’s workforce of tomorrow is sitting in classrooms, today. Junior Achievement is working to ensure students have the skill sets and mind sets to meet the opportunities that await them when they graduate. The JA Titan Experience is a key touchpoint for students, helping them bridge the gap between in-class learning and real-world experience. To be a part of bringing this experience to Maine students, volunteer and sponsorship opportunities are available. To learn more, visit https://maine.ja.org/events/titan-challenge, or contact Abby O’Connor, Development Coordinator, for more information.