Local Solutions to a Statewide Issue: Building a Talent Pipeline

Author: Jaimie Crawford
Corporate Responsibility
Published: Monday, 17 Mar 2025

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two teens sitting in front of a computer

Image caption: Students attribute lessons in leadership and planning for college to their participation in the JA Titan Experience.

How does a student gain workforce skills? How do they learn about industries they might not know exist? How do they begin to see themselves in future career roles? How do students understand the pathways they can take to building a career they’re interested in? These are questions JA Maine is helping students tackle.

There has been a shift in the way students engage with their education: seeking learning opportunities that connect the application of classroom studies to real-world opportunities. This shift is validated by a 2020 McREL International study that, after conversations with student focus groups, found students were more engaged in learning when teachers offered multiple connections between the content and the outside world.

Coincidentally, this article published by the Society of Human Resource Management, shared “critical reskilling, reimagining the K-12 and higher education pipelines, and practicing smarter workforce planning” as solutions to a looming nationwide workforce shortage.

Bridging the gap between in-classroom learning and real-world opportunity, as well as supporting educators in teaching critical workforce and career readiness skills, are cornerstones of JA Maine’s work. The JA Titan Experience is part of that mission. It is a five-week learning experience placing students as the CEO of cell phone companies that culminates in a single-day challenge hosted at companies and universities throughout the state. This experience helps students begin to think about their answers to the questions posed above.

Through JA Titan, Maine high school students become business leaders before they graduate. Students in the Yarmouth High School Finance Club led by longtime teacher, Mr. David Pearl, are not only returning JA Titan competitors, but regional winners as well. They shared their reflections on the value of participating in JA Titan:

“One thing I learned through JA Titan is that I love finance. Before joining the Finance Club, and competing in JA Titan, I didn’t know what I wanted to do after high school. This club made me really passionate about finance and economics, and is the reason why I want to pursue it when I graduate.” JA Titan Participant, Senior, Yarmouth High School.

“It is definitely a team game. You get to talk through ideas, become more sure in the decisions you’re making, and share the leadership role.” JA Titan Participant, Junior, Yarmouth High School.

“I’ve learned, through the JA Titan Challenge, that you need to be an open-minded person and adapt to change. You can go into some quarters and make a one hundred thousand dollars, and in the next quarter lose one million dollars; being able to react to the unpredictability of the challenge [is something I’ve learned.],” JA Titan Participant, Senior, Yarmouth High School.

“The most important part of leadership is being able to compromise. I feel like this game, [JA Titan simulation] shows us that really well,” JA Titan Participant, Junior, Yarmouth High School.

The insights shared by Yarmouth High School students reflect an overall feeling from the other student participants across Maine whose responses to a 2024 JA Titan survey strongly agreed 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.”

Business economics are brought to life through the JA Titan Experience. The “gamification” of the JA Titan program and the principles it teaches; pairing students with mentors and volunteers they aspire to be like; and giving students an opportunity to interact with companies and build networks before they’ve graduated meet the solutions laid out by the Society of Human Resource Management.

JA Maine wants to provide opportunities and experiences for students that allow them to think critically about their future and the pathways they want to take to reach their goals. As an organization it is working to build skill sets and mindsets in students so they can envision choice-filled futures – futures JA Maine hopes will stay in the state.