MCE’s Evaluation Report – A Quick Look!

The Maine Career Exploration Final Evaluation Report was recently released and it shows a wonderful, in-depth look at the successes and challenges of MCE. In this age of bite-sized news and 30-second video clips, we thought we’d share a quick look at some of the highlights in a Cliff Note version!

Keep in mind: this report was scheduled at the beginning of the program, which was planned to last only two years, but we have been able to keep going into our third year. The program continues to fund career exploration!

By March of 2025, 6,776 young people engaged in the program - exceeding our goal!

• 2,648 paid work experiences in Year 1 – spanning all 16 Maine counties
• 3418 paid work experiences in Year 2
• 65% of participants, on average, were identified each semester as historically underserved youth
• Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO) Expansion

We expanded eight ELO programs and add twenty-two new ELO programs at high schools, colleges, and community-based organizations across the state.

• ELOs provided 1,833 total paid work experiences
• Of these, 1,350 paid work experiences provided school credit
• Overall, students earned 2,098.5 credits through ELO participation

Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG):

• 3,935 Maine Career Exploration Badges were earned by Maine students who completed the experience

Children’s Cabinet Community-Based Organizations (CBO) Numbers:

• 5 nonprofits engaged 212 youth in job-readiness training; 70 of them moved on to paid placements

Student/Participant Wins:

Social-emotional growth – participants cited stronger confidence, communication, and self-advocacy

Early hiring pipeline – paid experiences led to job offers for 41 % of paid participants, with 70 % of those offers accepted, far out-pacing unpaid placements

Employer Wins:

• Workforce pipeline – 71 % of surveyed hosts said the program attracted talent to their industry; 65 % gained insight into the next-generation skillset; 56 % felt it helped ease immediate workforce shortages. 
• Low-risk onboarding – state-covered wages, workers’ comp, and Manpower Maine payroll support lowered hiring barriers, letting firms “test-drive” young talent

If you want to learn more, be sure to check out the full report!