Interested in AI? Maine Career Exploration Program Can Help

In the world of work, it is difficult to go a day without hearing about “artificial intelligence.” AI talk is pretty much everywhere, and there is plenty of anxiety to go along with it. The AI threat of displacement is especially serious for entry-level workers who naturally have limited hands-on experience.

The numbers don’t lie. Nearly half of working Americans now use AI on the job, meaning that adoption is increasingly becoming necessary in the modern workplace. More and more employers are expecting their employees to not only understand the benefits of AI, but also become experts to become more productive and impactful at work. Those who don’t adopt AI may miss out on peak performance, or risk being replaced by AI altogether.

But there is good news! Through the Maine Career Exploration (MCE) program, young Mainers can take advantage of paid work experiences that expose them to AI in the workplace. The program provides young people (ages 16 to 24) with 75 hours of career exploration and hands-on experience, so they can figure out how to fit into 21st-century companies. For instance, MCE’s Extended Learning Opportunities are ways for students to gain knowledge and skills through flexible instruction or study outside of the traditional classroom. This might mean becoming an expert in ChatGPT queries or the role of Google Gemini in today’s search results.

Earlier this year, Portland-based Atlas Patel, Inc. hosted a group of young interns who experienced Maine entrepreneurship up close—from operating a general store on Portland’s East End to running business ventures out of a bustling co-working space. They also experimented with AI to complete a variety of tasks, including the creation and oversight of a new website. Along the way, they learned how AI can be a powerful tool for business development, retail management, customer service, and more.

In recent years, MCE programming has provided paid, meaningful work experiences to more than 6,000 young people with the help of our state’s leading employers. Not only are some of Maine’s top companies in finance, technology, or manufacturing involved, but they are also diligent in identifying program mentors to educate students and other young Mainers about the businesses, industries, and opportunities in our state.

According to the latest research, sectors like computer science or office and administrative support have the potential to be most impacted by AI. A large chunk of such jobs are in occupations where 60 percent or more of the tasks could be affected by large language models (LLMs) and other forms of AI. In addition to MCE programming, it certainly doesn’t hurt for young people to play around with ChatGPT and other LLMs in their free time. The more practice, the better!

Working with their mentors, young Mainers can take advantage of the MCE program to succeed in the modern workplace. The world of work as we know it is changing rapidly, but we are here to help guide Maine workers through the turbulence.