MMG Insurance and the University of Maine at Presque Isle are pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the Young Professionals Institute, which is celebrating a special milestone this year: 10 years of providing area professionals with impactful leadership development training. The Institute will run this year on Wednesdays from March 1 to April 12. The online nomination/application form is available at www.umpi.edu/ypi. The nomination deadline is Monday, Jan. 23.
The Institute provides the area’s young professionals with a one-of-a-kind professional development opportunity—a 7-week short course designed specifically for emerging leaders looking to refine the skills that will bring them long-term success in their careers. Participants hone their professional skills through hands-on activities, on-the-spot public speaking assignments, and business simulation exercises. Along the way, participants visit local businesses and organizations to complete on-site assignments and hear presentations by embedded guests from the public and private sectors. The Institute culminates in a showcase presentation before area business and community leaders and YPI graduates.
“As a past YPI participant, I can say first-hand that this program provides a unique professional development experience that helps employees hone skills they can use throughout their entire career,” Kim Jones, UMPI Director of Employer U, said. “In addition to covering timely and relevant topics important in today’s workplace, this year’s institute will also feature some fun twists as we celebrate our 10th anniversary.”
The theme of this year’s Institute is CONNECTING, which will focus on 10 skills that the most successful people excel at: Communication, Optimization, Networking, Nimbleness, Engagement, Customer Service, Teambuilding, Influence, Navigating and Goal Setting. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of these important leadership skills and how to utilize them to advance the needs and goals of their organization.
The Institute is presented by UMPI and MMG Insurance and is supported by Cary Medical Center, Katahdin Trust Company, and TAMC. It will be facilitated by University officials, several local business and community leaders, and the graduates of past Young Professionals Institutes.
“Attracting, retaining, and developing a talented workforce is critical to the future of northern Maine. The Young Professionals Institute presents a unique opportunity to address that need and we are proud to support the program,” Matt McHatten, EVP & COO of MMG Insurance, said. “We have witnessed its success firsthand through our own employees’ participation and are thrilled to see YPI enter its tenth year.”
As it does every year, YPI will present sessions that focus on the skills employers look for most in prospective employees and candidates for advancement. Participants will work together to tackle new assignments each week focused on these skills areas.
During the short course, participants will take part in role-playing scenarios that refine their abilities to pitch proposals and deliver presentations, conduct mock interviews that give them experience in working with the media, and network with local officials and statewide leaders.
Previous sponsors of YPI participants include Acadia Health Education Coalition, ACE Rent-A-Car, Aroostook County Action Program/Healthy Aroostook, Barresi Financial, Carroll’s Auto Sales, Cary Medical Center, The County Federal Credit Union, DFAS-Limestone, Dunleavy Law Offices, F.A. Peabody Co., Farm Credit of Maine, Huber Engineered Woods, Katahdin Trust Company, K-Pel Industrial Services, Inc., Loring Job Corps Center, Maine Centers for Women, Work and Community, McCain Foods, MMG Insurance, NorState Federal Credit Union, Northern Maine Community College, Northern Prosthetics, Rathbun Lumber Company, Ryan’s Heart, Sitel, S.W. Collins, TAMC, Thompson-Hamel, LLC, Town of Fort Fairfield, United Insurance, U.S. Postal Service, University of Maine at Presque Isle, and WAGM-TV.
There are only 16 seats available for YPI 10. Professionals interested in taking the course must submit their names for nomination or have their business employer nominate them. The nomination deadline is Monday, Jan. 23. Selections will be announced Monday, Jan. 30. A $200 registration fee, paid by course participants or their business sponsors, is due by Monday, Feb. 20.
This year’s YPI sessions will be held on March 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29, and April 5 and 12, 2017. Most sessions will be held on Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Alumni Room of UMPI’s Campus Center. However, class time will be expanded from 3:30-6:30 p.m. during an extended session at MMG Insurance March 29.
For more information about the short course, which is not being offered for academic credit, please visit www.umpi.edu/ypi or contact Linda McLaughlin in UMPI’s College of Professional Programs at 207-768-9740 or e-mail linda.mclaughlin1@maine.edu.