Educate Maine would like to thank Maine legislators for recently approving L.D. 1389, “An Act to Establish a Mobile Learning Lab.” We especially want to thank Senate President Troy Jackson for championing this initiative and the funding for it.

This new law will create a mobile learning lab for the Maine Department of Education for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics which, beginning in the 2024, will allow students in all regions of Maine to engage in needed experiential hands-on learning in exciting STEM fields.

Currently, Maine’s educators and schools have a limited number of resources and tools available to them to make this happen.  This is especially true for rural schools. The mobile learning lab will allow for cutting edge technology to be delivered to the doorstep of rural and under-resourced schools, allowing students to access experiences beyond what many schools can provide on their own. This capital investment will reach dozens of schools each year and allow thousands of students to engage with new equipment, hands-on learning, and innovative lessons.

The innovation and collaboration which will go into building this learning lab will leverage the strengths of Maine’s life science industry to create a unique opportunity for Maine students to learn about on-ramps to meaningful, in-demand careers that allow them to live, study, and work right here in Maine. This is an important investment in our future workforce, maximizing the student experience by sharing high-dollar equipment across the state.

Katherine Howell

director, Workforce Partnerships

Educate Maine

Kennebunkport