Sen. Collins tours Mid-Maine Technical Center

WATERVILLE, Maine (WABI) – Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, traveled to Waterville Monday to tour the Mid-Maine Technical Center.

At MMTC, high school students from four districts get hands-on experience in job-focused classrooms across 15 different programs.

Collins toured several of those programs, including nursing, media, and culinary arts.

She highlighted the more than seven hundred thousand dollars she secured in federal funding in 2024 for machine tooling and 3D printing equipment.

Also adding the importance of schools like this to not only fill critical workforce gaps, but do so right here in the state.

“Programs like this help encourage students to stay in the state of Maine once they’ve finished their education,” answered Collins. “It gives them a real boost if they’re going on to higher education, but it also equips them with the skills that they need if they’re going directly into the workforce.”

Collins also mentioned cooperative agreements in some programs that allow students to start earning college credit. Many students she spoke with also spend part of the week working for local businesses in their field.