NORWAY – Two staff members from the Norway CareerCenter recently earned national and state certification as workforce development professionals.

Christine Abbott and Heidi Hamann, employed by the CareerCenter and Western Maine Community Action, completed their Career Development Facilitator/Workforce Development Professional Certification training this month through a yearlong course. They received their certification at a ceremony June 19 in South Portland.

“I’m extremely proud of all the CareerCenter employees who have successfully completed this course, and their dedication is commendable,” said Bryant Hoffman, executive director of the CareerCenters of Central/Western Maine. “They will be able to bring what they learned through their certification to the businesses and job seekers they serve on a daily basis, which will have a big impact on workforce development in this area.”

A unique blend of two professional certifications, Career Development Facilitator and Workforce Development Consultant, the course was co-sponsored by the Local Workforce Investment Board for Central/Western Maine and the Maine Department of Labor.

The LWIB of Central/Western Maine is the only workforce investment board in the nation to provide the combined certification to all regional CareerCenter staff. It is responsible for overseeing workforce development initiatives in Androscoggin, Franklin, Kennebec, Oxford, and Somerset counties, and is composed of multiple partners that include both public and private sector entities.

Maine’s CareerCenters offer access to everything from vocational rehabilitation to youth programs, from veterans’ services to adult education. Each office also has an Information Center that offers use of computers, a library, office equipment and telephones. All services of the CareerCenters are available at no cost. For more information call 888-457-8883; TTY, 800-794-1110.