WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced recently that the U.S. Department of Labor has awarded the Maine Department of Labor $3,663,177 as part of the Sector Partnership National Emergency Grant Program. This important investment will fund critical job training programs in Maine that will provide workers with the skills they need to be competitive in an ever-changing global economy.

“Workforce development is critical for Maine’s future economic success and this grant will be a tremendous help. I recently hosted Department of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez for a visit in Maine to discuss our shared commitment to apprenticeship programs and job training. I appreciate the Secretary’s commitment to these programs and his consideration for this competitive grant, which will help give Maine workers the skills they need to compete,” Senator Collins stated.

Recent data shows that about one-third of the increase in unemployment among college-educated workers in the United States from 2006 through 2010 was the result of workers not having the right skills for the positions available.

“When we make investments in the American workforce, our communities, our state, and our country benefit from increased wages, a more competitive workforce, and greater productivity,” Senator Collins continued.

This grant supplements the goals of the Work Force Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) that Senator Collins strongly supported. This bipartisan legislation was signed into law in June of 2014 and brought the first major reform and modernization to federal job-training programs in 15 years.

Implementation of the Sector Partnership National Emergency Grant Program in Maine:

This investment in job-training for Maine workers will specifically target in-demand occupations in the fields of Healthcare; Advanced Manufacturing; and Information Technology.

In order to implement the funding, the Bureau of Employment Services (BES) will first partner with Maine’s Local Workforce Investment Boards and their WIOA service to develop partnerships with regional employers in these target fields. These employers represent a significant percentage of the jobs in information technology, healthcare and advanced manufacturing and their partnership and input will be critical to creating successful strategies that ensure the job-training programs provide our workers with skills these industries require.

The agencies and employers will work together to define and deliver enhanced dislocated worker career services, classroom training and work-based training opportunities, resulting in the employment of dislocated workers in these three in-demand occupations in the three target sectors.