Experts weigh in on what Mills’ apprenticeship expansion would do for Maine

LEWISTON, Maine — Maine is getting ready to take a position tens of millions of {dollars} to assist strengthen the state’s workforce by means of apprenticeships.

“Apprenticeships are a win for our employees, our employers and our financial system, offering on the job coaching that ends in a secure workforce, good-paying jobs, and a stronger, extra numerous financial system,” Governor Janet Mills (D-Maine) stated. 

Gov. Mills made the announcement on Friday outdoors of Lewiston Grownup Schooling. In line with Mills, $12.3 million will go to 14 group throughout the state to develop apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship applications. 

Mills anticipates this funding will assist create 1000 new apprenticeships, and 2000 new pre-apprenticeships, which might greater than double Maine’s present whole of 1,175. 

The 14 organizations receiving funding to increase apprenticeship alternatives are the Related Basic Contractors of Maine, Educate Maine, Foster Profession and Technical Schooling Heart, Basic Dynamics Bathtub Iron Works, Gorham Faculty District, HospitalityMaine Schooling Basis, Industrial Roofing Firm, Lewiston Grownup Schooling/Lewiston Public Colleges, Maine AFL-CIO, MaineHealth, Portland Grownup Schooling, ReVision Power, Somerset Profession & Technical Heart and Washington County Group Faculty.

“If you happen to’re constructing a home, in the event you’re pulling wire, in the event you’re bending pipe, in the event you’re making an attempt to learn to do a tough weld, you’ll be able to’t be taught that in a e-book, you’ll want to be working with anyone who’s accomplished that for 10 or 15 years,” Maine AFL-CIO Govt Director Matt Schlobohm stated. 

Along with increasing the variety of apprenticeships, this funding may also permit for the creation of latest apprenticeship applications, like at Lewiston Grownup Schooling.

“We’re actually taking a look at, how can we develop apprenticeship stage programming from the bottom up,” Jennifer Tiner, Director of Lewiston Grownup Schooling stated. “We have now a possibility right here to take among the built-in training and coaching that we’ve accomplished and actually increase it to the following stage.”

Funding for this initiative contains $11 million from Gov. Mills’ ‘Maine Jobs and Restoration Plan’ in addition to $1.3 million from U.S. Division of Labor’s State Apprenticeship Enlargement, Fairness, and Innovation Grant.

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