Maine’s community colleges received a $5 million federal grant on August 5 to provide specialized short-term training that prepares students for work at Maine’s small- and mid-sized manufacturers. 

The grant is part of a $50 million U.S. Small Business Administration grant to technical schools and community colleges across the nation. In Maine, the funds will expand access to eight existing classes in fabrication, machining, welding, blueprint reading, quality assurance, manufacturing, and advanced manufacturing technologies at Central Maine Community College, Southern Maine Community College, and York County Community College, according to Maine Community College System, in a news release.More than 600 students will get the no-cost training, which is offered on a rolling basis approximately every four to eight weeks. 

“This grant allows us to take training that’s already proven itself with Maine’s largest defense manufacturers and put it directly into the hands of the small shops and suppliers that keep that supply chain running,” said Maine Community College System Chief Workforce Development Officer Dan Belyea. “These are the employers who often don’t have the time or capacity to build their own training pipeline, and this project meets them where they are.” 

The short-term workforce training classes covered by the SBA grant were developed by MCCS’ Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce in collaboration with the Maine Defense Industry Alliance to increase the number of skilled workers for high-demand defense industry jobs in Maine. The classes offered are: Technician Training (MTT), Advanced Manufacturing Technician Training (AMTT), Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Precision Machining, MIG and TIG Welding, Foundations of Machining, Maritime Pipefitting and Marine Machine Mechanic, Industrial Welding, and Introduction to Quality Assurance (QA). 

"Maine’s smaller manufacturing firms are a critical part of the supply chain that sustains the industry’s major employers, such as General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works (BIW), Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and Pratt & Whitney," said MCCS.

 Maine’s seven community colleges more than 33,000 people a year, through two-year associate degree and one-year certificate programs, short-term workforce training, early college programs, advanced certificates, and other learning opportunities. 

The Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce coordinates all short-term workforce training programs for Maine’s community colleges, working closely with business leaders and workforce specialists statewide to speed the delivery of critical training to both students and employers. The Alfond Center will serve more than 100,000 Mainers by 2030 through pre-hire training, incumbent worker training, and scholarships for those pursuing certificate and degree programs.