The Maine Development Foundation (MDF) has secured a grant of $535,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending funds to provide training and online micro-credential courses for Mainers to fill open jobs in the forest products industry. The funding will specifically benefit workers in the Jay region who were displaced by the closure of the town’s paper mill in 2022, as well as support the statewide forest industry by helping employers fill open positions.
Partnering with Spruce Mountain Adult Education and the University of Maine, MDF will offer training in Commercial Driver License (CDL) Class A instruction and an online course on job opportunities in the forest products sector. The programs aim to help individuals gain essential employment credentials for high-wage, high-demand jobs in the industry.
With a significant portion of the forest products workforce expected to retire in the next decade, there is a pressing need for skilled workers to fill the gap. The courses funded by the grant will help address this workforce shortage and meet the long-term goals of the Forest Opportunity Roadmap for Maine (FOR/Maine) initiative.
Dr. Robyn Raymond, director of Spruce Mountain Adult Education, expressed gratitude for the funding and emphasized the importance of empowering the community with essential employment credentials for a prosperous future. FOR/Maine’s Workforce Committee chair, Ryan Bushey, highlighted the significance of these programs in attracting young people to the industry and preparing the workforce for emerging technologies.
To learn more about FOR/Maine and the initiatives supported by the grant, visit formaine.org.
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