Maine to spend $12M to expand apprenticeship programs
(The Center Square) – Maine labor officials are pumping $12 million into grants for businesses to expand apprenticeship programs, as part of a broader effort to ease chronic worker shortages.
The new program, which was created through the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, will provide funding to businesses, labor unions, community-based organizations and industry groups to partner with the state to develop new apprenticeship programs and pre-apprenticeship programs or expand existing programs.
Gov. Janet Mills said the expanded grant funding will help employers “by upskilling and retaining workers and leads to wage growth for workers” which will help spur Maine’s economic recovery.
“Apprenticeships are a win for our workers, our employers, and our economy, providing on-the-job training that results in a stable workforce, good-paying jobs, and a stronger, more diverse economy,” Mills said in a statement. “I encourage employers looking for workers across Maine to use these funds to expand their apprenticeship programs to get more people – especially younger folks – into new, exciting fields that can provide a good paycheck.”
Laura Fortman, commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor, said the new grants will allow participating businesses “to recruit and train their workforce, while their apprentices earn a paycheck and learn new skills.”
“With these grants, we aim to develop an integrated, sustainable, and effective statewide program while expanding the number of high-quality apprenticeships, and increasing access for under-represented workers such as women, people of color, people with disabilities, and justice-involved individuals,” Fortman said.
Maine’s Registered Apprenticeship Program currently has 1,177 apprentices and 122 registered sponsors, representing 321 businesses, according to the Mills administration.
State labor officials say apprentices who have completed the program in the last two years have increased their wages by 40%, on average. About 94% of apprentices land permanent jobs at the businesses where they worked as an apprentice, according to state labor data.
The expanded grant program is the latest round of pandemic-related disbursements from Mills’ $1 billion Maine Jobs and Recovery plan, which is funded with federal relief money.
President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan in March, which provided direct payments to individuals and billions of dollars for states and local governments.
Maine got more than $4.5 billion from the pandemic relief package, including money for businesses and direct payments to residents and funding for local governments.
More information about the apprenticeship grants can be found here.
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