College of Education and Human Development to host career fair April 28
After a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development is hosting an Education Career Fair to connect preservice teachers with Maine schools and school districts.
The event, scheduled for 1–3 p.m. April 28 at Wells Conference Center, will feature school officials from more than 20 communities, mostly in central and eastern Maine. They’ll have the opportunity to meet current UMaine students majoring in elementary education, secondary education, early childhood education, physical education, music education and art education, as well as graduate students in UMaine’s Master of Arts in Teaching program. Education students from Eastern Maine Community College and Husson University have also been invited to participate in the fair.
“Several schools and districts are hiring teachers right now, and there was a great deal of interest in reviving our career fair to bring future educators and employers together,” says Penny Bishop, dean of UMaine’s College of Education and Human Development.
“By the time they graduate, our preservice teachers will have more than 800 hours of hands-on experience in classrooms through their student teaching and other field placements,” Bishop adds. “They are well-prepared to meet the needs of children, families and communities throughout Maine.”
The Education Career Fair was last held in 2019. The event was canceled in 2020 and not held at all in 2021 due to the pandemic.
The UMaine College of Education and Human Development is the state’s largest teacher preparation program, with more than 700 students currently in programs that lead to teacher licensure in Maine.