Workforce

Workforce Training opportunities

Katahdin Higher Education Center – East Millinocket (7 miles)

Discover a compelling incentive for businesses seeking to elevate their workforce through advanced education and skill development. Katahdin Higher Education Center stands as a beacon of opportunity, offering an off-campus extension of Eastern Maine Community College and the University of Maine system. This unique center is strategically positioned to empower your employees to pursue higher education without the need to venture far from home.

  • Recent recipient of $4,000,000 to provide training and childcare
Eastern Maine Community College – Bangor (68 miles)
  • Numerous programs (welding, woodworking, etc.)
University of Maine – Orono (65 miles)
  • Maine’s flagship University and primary engineering campus
  • Advanced Structures and Composites Center
  • Structural engineering, testing laboratory, CNC machining support available.
Maine Maritime Academy – Castine (111 miles)
  • Millinocket has one of the largest alumni networks of marine/power engineers and logistics specialists in Maine.

Additional Training Resources available

Maine Quality Centers:
  • Customized workforce training programs tailored to specific industry needs, through the Maine Community College System. E.g., Katahdin Higher Education Center, Eastern Maine Community College
Maine Department of Labor: On-the-job Training Funds
  • 50% reimbursement of wages for up to 480 hours
  • Apprentice support: $500 per worker accepted into program
Your Partner In Workforce Training

The Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce coordinates short-term workforce training programs for Maine’s community colleges and business community. Working closely with business and industry leaders, the Center’s workforce specialists can work quickly to design training for your business needs.

The Center is part of a historic $60 million investment for workforce training. The Center is poised to serve 24,000 Mainers by 2025.

Get Pre-Hire Training

Ensure your skills match employers’ needs and sign up for one of our many short-term workforce training programs. Maine’s community colleges offer free training that ties your news skills into a high-demand job.

For more information:  https://www.mccs.me.edu/workforce-training/for-trainees/

Train Your Workforce

The Maine Workforce Development Compact comprises 300 Maine businesses, associations, nonprofits, and municipalities committed to working together to solve Maine’s workforce challenges.

Joining the Compact gives businesses access to funding and streamlined access to the Center’s services, which include:

  • Up to $1,200 in professional development funding per frontline worker in 2022. A $600 match is available in 2023 and 2024.
  • Community college scholarships for staff to continue to acquire skills in pursuit of a degree or credential of value.
  • An advisor to assist employees with course selection, textbooks, tutoring services, and other resources to ensure their continued success.
  • Maintenance of your employees’ training records.

Training for Compact members can occur at one of Maine’s community colleges, by a third-party training vendor, or through a company-based training.

For more information on joining the Compact, visit https://www.mccs.me.edu/workforce-training/maine-workforce-development-compact/

Apprenticeships

Maine’s community colleges have been working with the Maine Apprenticeship Program to establish apprenticeship work models customized to the specific needs of employers. The earn-while-you-learn model tailors curriculum and develops a workforce plan to meet the goals of any employer, based on their industry and specific needs. Grant funding is available to help subsidize training costs for many employers. A registered Maine apprenticeship requires 2,000 hours of on-the-job training and 144 hours of classroom training.

For more information, contact Richard Sterrs at rsterrs@mccs.me.edu

Remote Work For ME

The Remote Work for ME initiative offers free six- to nine-month workforce training programs to people living in rural Maine who want to work remotely. The training includes communications, time management, and equipment best practices around remote work, as well as occupational training that prepares learners to enter into a remote position in a health office occupation. Additional funding is available for equipment.

For more information, contact Joshua Howe at remotework@mccs.me.edu