BELFAST — Through a new partnership with the Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce, funding for professional development programs taken at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center is available, up to $1,200 per worker through December 2022, with additional funding in subsequent years. Visit hutchinsoncenter.umaine/edu to learn more.

In order to be eligible for this funding, employers need to become Compact Members. All Maine companies qualify; there are additional resources available to small- and mid-sized companies. The Maine Workforce Development Compact is comprised of Maine businesses, associations, nonprofits and municipalities committed to working together to solve Maine’s workforce challenges. To date, over 400 Maine employers have become compact members. To be eligible for training, workers must be 18 or older, a Maine resident, and have a high school diploma or equivalent.

The UMaine Hutchinson Center offers a wide variety of professional development programs, including in-person and online offerings. This fall, Peggy Smith will be teaching the popular online program, “Helping to Calm Strong Emotions with Resonant Language.” Tom Dowd will be teaching several programs, including his in-person offerings on career transformation and public speaking, and online offerings on time management and virtual presentations. Terry Porter, associate professor emerita from the Maine Business School, is offering two in-person programs: critical thinking and business sustainability strategies. Restorative Justice Project Maine is offering several Restorative Practices program sessions. 

More information about all upcoming professional development opportunities through the UMaine Hutchinson Center is available online. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for all programs; learn more here.

The Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce has access to $60 million in grant funding. With its business partners, including the UMaine Hutchinson Center, it is poised to serve 24,000 Mainers with short-term training by 2025. This includes financial support of up to $1,200 per worker through December 2022 and a $1,200 match in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

For information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Abby Spooner, um.fhc.pd@maine.edu; 207.338.8002. For more information about upcoming professional development programs or to register, go online. Early registration is recommended as spots are limited.

About the Hutchinson Center:

The Hutchinson Center is an outreach center for the University of Maine in Orono that serves as an educational and cultural center for the midcoast area. It is named for University of Maine President Emeritus Frederick E. Hutchinson. The mission of the Hutchinson Center is to broaden access to University of Maine academic and non-degree programs and services, lifelong learning opportunities, and professional and career development experiences using innovative approaches that increase synergy among University of Maine System entities, University of Maine departments and divisions, and that engage a wider Maine community.  For more information about the UMaine Hutchinson Center, visit hutchinsoncenter.umaine.edu.

About the University of Maine:

The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state's land grant, sea grant and space grant university, with a regional campus at the University of Maine at Machias. UMaine is located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation. UMaine Machias is located in the homeland of the Passamaquoddy Nation. As Maine's flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service. UMaine is the state's only public research university and among the most comprehensive higher education institutions in the Northeast. It attracts students from all 50 states and 81 countries. UMaine currently enrolls 11,989 undergraduate and graduate students, and UMaine Machias enrolls 747 undergraduates. Our students have opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research with world-class scholars. UMaine offers more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn master's, doctoral or professional science master's degrees, as well as graduate certificates. UMaine Machias offers 18 degree programs. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide to conserve energy, recycle and adhere to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine and UMaine Machias, visit umaine.edu and machias.edu.