Summer Interns Bring Enthusiasm to the Maine Department of Labor Bookmark and Share

August 13, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 13, 2014

Contact: MacKenzie Riley and Julie Rabinowitz, 207-621-5009

AUGUSTA?Six students are wrapping up their summer internships with the Maine Department of Labor. Michael Bailey of Waterville, Caroline Bowne of Falmouth, Erin Fitzpatrick of Marshall, Michigan, Jordan Kim of Dover-Foxcroft, MacKenzie Riley of Waterville and Jon Whittemore of Brunswick spent several weeks working on special projects in various bureaus within the department.

?Each summer we have a new group of students and we are continuously impressed with their fresh look at our programs and projects, their willingness to learn and their contributions to our department, our customers and the people of Maine,? said Commissioner of Labor Jeanne Paquette. ?We thank them for their work and we are pleased that they have found the internship experience valuable.?

Michael Bailey attends the University of Maine at Orono and majors in history. Interning as a labor historian in the Bureau of Labor Standards this summer, his primary task was researching the history of labor laws in the State of Maine, the role of the Department of Labor and State Legislature and how events in the state and nation affected the passage of specific laws. Bailey then wrote a report of his findings that will be published online.

Caroline Bowne attends Skidmore College and majors in management and business. Bowne?s job as a technical writer was to update existing and create new standard operating procedures for many functions in the Employer Services Division of the Bureau of Unemployment Compensation. The Employer Services Division is responsible for collecting and processing all unemployment insurance taxes for the State of Maine. Bowne also preformed research on delinquent accounts, attended hearings and shadowed employer audits.

Erin Fitzpatrick, Orientation and Mobility Master?s student at Western Michigan University, interned with the Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired in the Rockland and Bangor offices this summer. Her job was to teach people with blindness and visual impairments how to travel safely and independently and providing the tools to do so. Fitzpatrick also helped out with the Vision Quest College Preparation program and the New England Blind Athletic League sports camp.

Jordan Kim is a student of the Rehabilitation program at the University of Maine at Farmington. Kim?s internship this summer was in the Portland office for the Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired (DBVI) and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR). He worked on the independent living caseload for DBVI, completed client intake and eligibility reviews for DVR and volunteered at the New England Blind Athletic League sports camp.

MacKenzie Riley is a communications and journalism student at St. Thomas University in New Brunswick, Canada. Her job as the communications intern for the Office of the Commissioner included writing and editing press releases, monthly employer and MDOL staff newsletters, writing success stories for the CareerCenter blog and helping to manage the department and CareerCenter?s social media accounts.

Jon Whittemore attends Husson University where he majors in business administration. His job in the Department of Labor was as a technical field writer in the Employer Services Division of the Bureau of Unemployment Compensation. Whittemore helped create and revise standard operating procedures, shadowed employer audits and helped educate employers on new and existing laws through outreach events and creating brochures.

The Maine Department of Labor is committed to serving Maine workers and businesses by helping employers recruit and train a talented workforce, providing workers with the skills they need to be competitive in the economy, assisting individuals when jobs are lost, ensuring safe and fair workplaces for people on the job and researching and analyzing employment data to support job growth.

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