From health care jobs to manufacturing, immigrants work in many essential fields in this country. We learn about employment issues involving foreign-born people in Maine—what obstacles they face, what skills and assets they contribute, and what’s being done to help connect people to jobs in Maine. We’ll also learn about the phenomenon of immigrants having to work in lower-level jobs than they are qualified for or previously held in their countries of origin.
Panelists:
Claude Rwaganje, founder & executive director, ProsperityME; city councilor, Westbrook; he is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kimberley Moore, director, Bureau of Employment Services, Maine Department of Labor
Francine Ngabu, senior intake paralegal, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project; General Secretary of the Congolese Community of Maine; board vice chair, Maine Association of New Americans
VIP Callers:
Hannah Pingree, director, Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future
Samantha Funk, manager of workforce programs, Goodwill of Northern New England
Resources:
Goodwill workforce program: Call 207-930-7047 to speak with intake coordinator, or go to website workforcesolutionsme.org
MDOL: Hiring Foreign Workers (maine.gov)
Immigrants may hold a key to solving Maine’s labor shortage (pressherald.com)
